Amaryllis
by silver-footsteps
Summary: Ingredients: A delicate flower and a headstrong general. Procedure: Combine ingredients in one palace, add murder plots and power struggles. Shake vigorously for best results. Itasaku.
1. Amaryllis

This is going to be a story about princesses and princes. There will be balls and gowns and courtly manners. There might be damsels in distress and even a few sword fights or two. And, obviously, there will be Itasaku. You've been warned.

* * *

Amaryllis

Chapter 1: Amaryllis

_A flower for you_

Sakura was awake before the first fingers of dawn had crept over the horizon. She wasn't a morning person by nature. Rather, years of discipline had ingrained themselves so deeply in her nature that she had no choice but to open her eyes when her internal clock demanded. The servant girls delivered breakfast along with her clean clothes. They helped her bathe, chattering and laughing quietly as they worked. Sakura indulged them, adding to their light gossip and jokingly scolding one of the girls for her crush on a squire.

"But please, I do wish you would have someone escort you. There are so many bandits wandering the forests lately," one of the girls sighed as Sakura got out of the tub. Sakura accepted the towel from her with a faint laugh.

"No need to worry. If anyone stands in my path, I'll flutter my eyelashes until they surrender," Sakura answered while rubbing her hair dry. There was a chorus of laughter from the servants at the thought. Sakura dressed, with the servants rushing to button her cuffs and smooth out wrinkles.

"Your uniform is in here. And we've included the essentials for travel," another girl reported as she gestured to the brown rucksack sitting on the bed. Sakura secured her hair back in a low ponytail with a simple silver pin. Her locks were still damp but they would dry quickly so she didn't bother with them at the moment. As she pulled her riding breeches on, Sakura noticed that all three of the girls looked rather downcast.

"I'll be back once the season is over. There's no need to look so forlorn," she commented.

"I suppose. That won't change how much we will miss you," one of them answered. There were emphatic nods. Sakura smiled as she stepped into her boots. They were made of supple, tan leather that went up to her knees. She tugged the laces into place in sharp yanks before neatly knotting a bow. The servants let her do this herself without protest. Years of practice made Sakura an expert in dealing with boots.

Someone handed Sakura her leather gloves. She slung her rucksack over one shoulder. After one last check, Sakura gave each girl a tight hug and then hurried downstairs and through the courtyard to the stables. There, the stable hands greeted her, informing her that her mount had already been prepared.

"Hey there, Kaze," Sakura whispered as she greeted the white stallion. She stroked the patch of light grey running down his muzzle. He snorted against the side of her throat in response. Laughing fondly, she gave the horse one last pat before she moved to check her gear. She chatted with the stable hands as she secured buckles and straps. They too, like the servant girls, expressed reluctance to let her go.

"Shameless flattery will get you everywhere. Take good care of things while I'm gone, lads," Sakura ordered as she mounted Kaze. She received salutes when she took up the reins. As she galloped off through the main gate, Sakura barely glanced back at the stone fortress of a castle she had always called home.

It was only two hours later that the rest of the castle really came to life.

The servants, who had risen around dawn as well, had set to stoking the fires in the kitchen. The smell of baking bread mingled with the lingering sweetness of morning dew. Smoke began to rise from the chimneys, signaling the weary night guards that it was time for a shift change. The girls set out sweeping the stone floors and delivering breakfast to the rousing nobles.

"I thought you were going on about not letting a young lady travel alone last night," Kushina remarked as she followed Naruto out into the courtyard. She fussed with his travel cloak and tried to smooth out the wild mess of gold on his head.

"I tried to wake up early but she was gone before the sun was even up all the way," pouted Naruto in response.

"Well, I suppose I should be more worried about you, then. Thank goodness Sai's going with you," sighed Kushina. Naruto's face split into a grin. He thumped himself on the chest once.

"I'll be fine. We should be there in about two weeks. The raids have been taking place in the south so we'll be alright," Naruto assured his mother. He hugged her and accepted the kiss on his forehead without complaint. The carriage pulled up, Sai riding alongside it on his own brown mare. Sai bowed deeply, taking off his hat in the process.

"Sai, I'm entrusting you with this stupid son of mine. His Majesty also sends his thanks," Kushina said.

"Anything for my king and queen. We will send word when we have arrived safely at the castle, Your Highness," answered Sai. Kushina nodded. Rewrapping her shawl around herself, Kushina watched Naruto get into the carriage. All his luggage was secured to the top and Sai tugged on the ropes to make sure they were tied properly. Sai bowed again before he moved to speak to the driver. Naruto's head popped out the window.

"Don't look so worried, Mom. Everything will be ok," Naruto assured her with a winning smile.

Even so, Kushina's concerned gaze followed after them as the horses galloped off over the drawbridge.

"I wish she would have gone with him. I would feel so much better," she sighed to herself. Shaking her head, Kushina turned to walk back into the castle. It was time for breakfast anyway.

* * *

The forest floor was dappled with sunlight. It was several degrees cooler here, where the light only touched down in sporadic bursts. She wrapped her dark brown cloak around her shoulders, glad for the added warmth. Her gloved hand rubbed the side of her horse's neck before tightening on the reins again. Uttering a soft encouragement under her breath, she urged the steed into a gallop.

Leaves and brush crunched under hooves. The huffs of the horse's breaths slipped into her ears. Birds chirped warningly as the rider passed through nesting grounds. Their shrill threats followed the intruders long after they had gone.

They paused after a few hours for a short meal and a break. Sakura slipped the bridle from Kaze's mouth to offer him an apple from her bag along with a handful of oats. She left him to shake out his mane and root for more food on the ground while she drank water and munched on some dried meat. Several minutes later, she led the horse to the stream to drink before she was back in the saddle and they were racing through the undergrowth again.

When the sun began to droop in the sky, Sakura kept her eyes sharp, searching for a place to stay for the night. If she had stayed on the main road, there would have been plenty of inns. But the twisting, winding chaos of the main road meant losing time. She had chosen to cut straight through the forest and there were always consequences for avoiding civilization.

"What do you think about there, Kaze?" Sakura murmured when she noticed a gap in the stone of the cliffs stretching up alongside the river. It was far enough from any roads not to be noticed right away. Kaze trotted over, snuffling and ears flat to his head as he looked for danger. Chuckling, Sakura dismounted and then patted the horse's side a couple times.

"Big baby. Stay here. I'll go take a look," she whispered. Kaze obediently stayed back while Sakura slipped through the thick brush. A few thin branches whipped her as she marched through but she ignored the pain and kept going. At the mouth of the low cave, Sakura peered inside but it was too dark to really get a good look. So she picked up a stone from the ground and flung it at an angle. She listened to it bang against the walls and the faint sparks from rock striking rock gave just enough illumination to confirm that though the cave was quite shallow, it was also uninhabited.

Sakura crunched back through the brush to grasp Kaze's reins.

"Come on. It's fine," she assured the steed in a low, soothing voice as she led it through the trees. And though he didn't follow along gladly, he followed without resisting too much.

Sakura tossed her rucksack into the cave, just at the entrance so she could keep an eye on it while she took off the saddle and thick blanket underneath from Kaze's back. She brushed his back and sides in quick movements before ruffling his mane.

"There. Feeling better?" she asked. Kaze tossed his head, nickering happily in response.

She ripped off the lower branches from some trees to build a fire. The hard wood gave off little smoke and eventually she let it die down into glowing coals that would provide warmth but not fill up the cave with burning fumes.

Sakura sat next to the fire with a thick flannel blanket wrapped around her shoulders as she soaked up what heat she could from the smoldering wood. Kaze paced around a little in the cave, ears pricked up for any threatening noises until he seemed satisfied. When he had deemed everything safe, he settled down on the stone floor behind her. Curling up around her back, he rested his head in her lap while wrapping her in his warmth.

"You're such a mother hen," Sakura murmured fondly as she patted his neck until he fell asleep. She stayed awake for another hour or so, tossing in a couple thick chunks of wood and stoking the coals with a branch. And then she was dozing off too, one ear carefully keeping track of the sounds of the sleeping forest.

They journeyed this way for another five days. With dawn, they rose. Kaze ate breakfast while she prepared his gear and checked that she had everything. And Kaze kicked dirt over the previous night's campfire while Sakura ate hers. They moved swiftly and quietly through the forest. A couple times, they ran into rabbits and pheasants running around in the undergrowth. Sakura managed to get her bow and arrows out in time to shoot at them a few times. Once, she hit her mark, and she roasted up the bird for her dinner over the fire.

"When we get there, I won't be able to eat like this anymore. I kind of miss traveling. Didn't you love those berries we found when we went up to the northern badlands?" commented Sakura. Kaze's big, soulful eyes were focused on her but she knew he couldn't actually understand her. Still, his snuffling and snorting in response to the rises and falls in her the pitch of her voice made her feel well-listened to. She smiled at her trusted companion.

Kaze had been bred from the best and she had fallen in love with the spirited foal upon first sight. She had spent many hours brushing his silky mane and whispering her secrets to him. It hadn't been uncommon for servants to find her sleeping in his stable with him, curled up against his warmth. When she had left for the military academy at 12, the not-quite adult horse had gone with her. They matured together, with Sakura graduating at 16 and Kaze a full-grown stallion by then.

"Maybe we should run away together- just you and me. I could dye my hair. We could work as mercenaries," Sakura suggested. Kaze's answering snort of breath sounded disapproving.

"No? Maybe we'll be bodyguards then? A slightly more moral line of work. Or we could buy a little land and farm and I'll feed you all the carrots in the world," she went on. At the word 'carrots', his ears flicked up and Sakura laughed. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out one of the orange vegetables and fed it to him. She could practically see the pleasure glittering in his gaze.

"Just between you and me, I'm not looking forward to this all. Dancing like a monkey for all these nobles is probably worse than that time we fought off those raiders at the mountain pass last year," added Sakura in a more morose tone. Crunching away happily, Kaze nickered. Sakura's smile returned.

"You're right. The little pleasures. It's the little pleasures that count," she sighed, reaching out to stroke his neck.

They caught sight of white towers a little after a week after they left home. Emerging from the forest, they stood at the edge to survey the large castle shining proudly. But the castle was on the top of a large mountain so it would take at least another day to reach the top. At the foot of the mountain sat a clear lake edged with dark pines. Sakura glanced westward. The sky was already beginning to turn darker blue. Soon it would bleed red and purple and gold before night fell completely. Not a good time to start a trek up a mountain at all.

"Let's camp here for the night. Help me catch something for dinner?" Sakura said, patting Kaze's neck. She still had plenty of dried fruits and hearty loaves of dark bread that would easily last for the rest of the voyage. But the bread was chewy and tough and it had been a couple days since the pheasant. Reaching back, Sakura wrapped her fingers around her bow. Then she pulled an arrow from the quiver on her back, rubbing the feather on the end to make sure it wasn't bent.

It took half an hour to catch a rabbit. The arrow hit it directly in the eye, killing it instantly. Sakura dangled it by the ears with one hand to steer Kaze with the other. They circled the lake once before coming to rest in the shadow of the mountain. With the solid wall of rock up behind them, Kaze seemed much more at ease. As soon as Sakura pulled off his saddle and the rest of gear, the horse went to drink water and graze at the sweet grass. Sakura set up camp, gathering firewood and setting up a couple traps before she went to the lake to skin and clean the rabbit.

"You know, Kaze," Sakura called out. She heard the horse grunt in response. Her knife moved, deftly cutting into the fur until she pulled away the skin in one layer.

"I changed my mind again. We should be shepherds. You like sheep, right?" she said. Kaze snorted. Laughing, Sakura split the belly of the rabbit. She pulled out the organs, dropping them into the lake where fish swarmed to feed on the unexpected bounty. She quartered it and separated the flesh into neat parcels. Spearing them onto sharpened sticks, she roasted the rabbit over the fire, ripping into the juicy flesh with her bare fingers while the meat still steamed. Kaze kept his distance while she ate. He didn't like the smell of dead animals. But once she was finished eating and disposed of the rest of the rabbit in the lake where the fish would take care of everything, Kaze cantered back.

"When we arrive at the castle, you'll be stuck in the stables all day and I'll be trapped in court. We should enjoy this while we can," she sighed. She fell onto her back, lolling lazily in the cool grass. Kaze prodded and nudged her until Sakura finally got up and followed them back to camp. The horse promptly deposited his head in her lap and slept. Sakura stayed up to stare into the flames. When her eyelids began to droop, she let her head loll back against the stone wall and fell into dreams too.

When she woke in the morning, Sakura dove into the cold lake, scattering the fish. She worked her fingers through her hair and scrubbed the dirt from underneath her fingernails. Skin tingling and clean, she hauled herself out of the water. She dried herself off, put on the fresh, clean white uniform buried deep in her rucksack, and spent several minutes brushing Kaze and plaiting his mane.

Then they headed up the mountain in a brisk trot. Sakura's thighs tightened around Kaze's sides as she stared up at the gleaming palace. Kaze felt this change and let out a low noise of anxiety too. Eyes widening, Sakura turned her gaze back to him.

"Don't worry. You have nothing to fear," she murmured in a low voice as she stroked his neck.

"It's me that should be worried," she added in a mutter.

They rode on in silence until the dirt road suddenly became a path of light grey cobblestones. Kaze felt the change under his hooves and his paced slowed into a more refined trot. The mountain was so steep that instead of having one straight yet impossible path up, the road was carved into the side of the mountain, spiraling upwards. On the final rotation around the mountain, Sakura caught sight of the beautifully gleaming stone sides of the White Palace that all the nobles fawned over. It was the home of the royal family of the Mountain Kingdom.

There was a large iron gate surrounding the grounds. But beyond the bars Sakura could see well-manicured lawns and a large stone fountain with statues of cherubs squirting water from their mouths. The fountain itself was a large pool of clear water that stretched across the front of the building. The palace was reflected into the shimmering waters below, marred only by the small white flowers floating on the surface in lazy dots.

The huge glass windows of the palace sparkled in the late morning sun. Sakura's eyes trailed over the details of the molding and the delicate green vines that draped across the balconies. The front entrance was a massive affair completed by two stone pillars and some sort of relief carving above the doors themselves that were too far away to make out clearly. Sakura tried to count the windows to get an estimate of just how large the place was but she couldn't guess how far back the building stretched. She slowed as she spotted two guards flanking the large front gate. Twin statues of birds loomed above the men.

"Good morning, gentlemen," Sakura called out. Kaze came to a halt.

"Greetings, traveller. What business do you have at the White Palace today?" one of the guards answered. Sakura could feel them eying the sword attached to her belt. She urged Kaze forward a couple steps so she could hand one of the guards a leather billfold tied shut with a length of black cord. He fumbled to untie the knot and then spent a long time examining the bright red wax seal gracing the front of the papers. Still, she waited patiently as they looked over her documents.

"Huh, General of the Forest Kingdom, is it?" he finally read out loud. Sakura graciously dipped her head.

"We had no idea we were addressing such a decorated figure. Our apologies, General," the other guard quickly said with a bow. His companion rushed to do the same.

"At ease, gentlemen," she answered with a cool smile. The two guards proceeded to open up the gates for her. The billfold was returned to her with shaking hands. Without waiting for any other words, Sakura clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. Kaze headed forward in a crisp trot accompanied by a proud toss of his head. They followed the road between lines of shrubbery and stone sculptures before it curved around the big fountain she had seen earlier. There were already people waiting for her by the front steps leading up to the palace.

"Good morning, My Lady. I trust that your trip here was pleasant," one of the people in the greeting party gushed.

"The weather was indeed fine for travel. Might I meet with His Majesty soon?" Sakura said as she dismounted. Kaze nuzzled against her throat, earning a light push.

"Behave," she chastised. There was already a servant on hand who stepped forward to take Kaze's reins. Another servant took Sakura's bag, trying his best not to wince at how unexpectedly heavy it was.

"Oh, of course. His Majesty has been awaiting your arrival," another chirruped, as she motioned toward the door. Sakura was escorted quickly and cheerfully by her entourage to the throne room. They stopped outside where the man at the door snootily asked for her name and title. And when it was given, he promptly attempted to cover up his chagrin with a small cough.

"His Imperial Majesty of the Mountain Kingdom, King Fugaku Uchiha," a booming voice announced. Sakura adjusted the sword hanging at her hip and began taking brisk strides into the room. She stopped at the appropriate distance without looking up at the throne and instead swept herself down in a deep bow. It was a graceful pose, falling to her left knee as he right fist moved over her heart. She kept her head lowered for a long time.

"Your Majesty, this is General Haruno of the Forest Kingdom," the voice added in a much softer tone.

"Please rise, My Lady. There is no need for you to kneel," the King stated. His voice was unexpectedly warm. As Sakura rose to her full height, she folded her arms behind her. Back straight and feet together, she finally looked at the man who sat on the throne of the mighty Mountain Kingdom.

He had a hardened face. If she had to link him to a season, it would have been winter. His expression was one that had weathered many cold storms. The set of his mouth was stern and his dark eyes were lined. His dark brown hair was parted neatly in the center and fell just past his chin. But the crown on his head was of finely crafted white gold and glittering gems. His clothes too were of beautifully woven fabric with intricate details. He was all black against silvery tassels and brocade. The hands resting on the arms of the throne had silver rings fitted with dark blue gems to echo the colors of the family coat of arms.

To his left sat the queen. Her long black hair flecked with hints of gray fell to her waist. With her pointed chin and black eyes, she almost would have looked like a marble statue. But the gentleness of her smile softened her entire face. Her attire was simple and elegant. A dark gray and navy dress along with a fur-lined cape. The only pieces of jewelry she wore were a delicate silver chain around her neck and a shiny diamond ring on her left hand.

"Welcome to our kingdom. We had received word of your expedited arrival," the queen uttered in a voice like warmed honey. Sakura bowed her head respectfully in the woman's direction. As she did, she noticed a piece of paper held in the queen's delicate hand. The red wax seal was broken and Sakura had no doubt that it was from her own country. Judging from the laughter hiding the queen's eyes, the "word of her expedited arrival" had arrived not too long ago.

"It is an honor, Your Majesties. I have heard many things of the Great Iron Kingdom of the North," answered Sakura as she returned the pleasantries. She could see the king and queen exchange approving looks.

"Our annual summer festival will be upon us soon and we would be pleased if you would stay as our guest of honor during this time," the king continued.

"I could think of no greater pleasure, Your Majesty," replied Sakura.

"We have arranged for your own apartment in the western wing of the castle. And our son, Prince Sasuke, has volunteered to be your guide." As the king spoke, one of the noblemen who had been standing near the throne suddenly took a few steps forward. He dipped his head.

"Lord Shisui will escort you," the king added.

"General," Shisui said.

"My Lord," Sakura replied with the same level of superficial courtesy.

After bowing again to the king and queen, Sakura took off from the throne room, Lord Shisui on her heels. As soon as they were past the large wooden doors, Sakura turned around to face her companion. Faces mattered to Sakura. They said a lot about the person they were attached to. And Sakura was going nowhere without getting a good look at the person who was going to lead her around this strange place. He nearly ran into her and dug his heels into the ground to stop. He had a rounder chin and wider cheekbones but the same dark hair and dark eyes that seemed to run in the Uchiha blood. His eyebrows were thick and expressive, arching as he stared right back at her.

"Lord Shisui?" she asked. The unvoiced question trailed along at the end of her words. It was a common question.

"Baron of the Iron Hold in the north. And nephew to the king," Shisui elaborated with a smile.

"Pleasure," answered Sakura. Shisui politely cleared his throat, clearly waiting for her to reciprocate.

"General Haruno of the Forest Kingdom. Did you forget already?" she reminded him. Shisui's nostrils flared.

"I'm no fool. The common military goons and the high-ranking officers that come from nobility are completely different. There's no way you're a commoner, General," Shisui persisted. Impressed by his eye, Sakura graced him with a faint curl of her mouth.

"A fine observation, Baron. But surely a woman can't be expected to divulge all her secrets," she quipped. But Shisui fixed her with an expectant look. Sakura let out a sigh.

"Duchess of the Southern Tea Isle," she relented.

"Pleasure," he echoed.

They shook hands before they continued on their way down the hall.

"My cousin Prince Sasuke is quite a lady-killer. I would advise you not to fall too hard for him. You wouldn't be the first beautiful woman to be sent off in tears," Shisui warned her as they turned a sharp corner and went up a sweeping flight of stairs. Sakura was a little distracted by the dazzling chandeliers dangling from the high ceilings. Even the ceilings were edged with gold and intricate designs of flowers and leaves. Still, she found the time to scoff at the idea.

"Your concern is noted and unnecessary, sir," she replied with a slight edge to her tone. She caught the searching look he cast her but he wisely chose not to comment.

"The third door on the left, My Lady," Shisui said as they came to a stop in a long hallway. They bowed to one another before Sakura entered the indicated room. It was a salon furnished with couches and armchairs. The bright pink flowers arranged in the urns gave off a sweet scent that was almost cloying. On the coffee table was a silver tray that held a small teapot with two matching teacups. There was also a round dish filled with cakes. Watching the steam rise from the spout of the pot, Sakura guessed that the tray had been set out no more than a few minutes ago. She silently admired the efficiency of the person who had made it happen.

But as she stood there, waiting, the strong fragrance of flowers began to make her head hurt. Rather than sit and wait for a migraine to build up, Sakura looked around until she noticed that the tall windows on the opposite end of the room were actually doors leading out to the balcony. When she touched the handle, she found that it was unlocked. She slipped through the doors, leaving them ajar as she leaned against the stone railing.

Sakura sucked in a deep breath of the fresh morning air.

She waited there as she admired the beauty of the palace grounds. The clean mountain air was a welcome change from the damp, musty odor of the city. As her eyes fluttered shut, she heard a firm knock on the door. A smile curled her lips as she turned around. Her elbows rested on the railing while her right leg crossed over the left. The curtains blew in the draft as the doors opened. She heard footsteps enter the room and then hesitate for several seconds. She waited for him to notice the opened door and fluttering curtains.

"I'm Prince Sasuke of the Mountain Kingdom," he called out without moving towards her. Sakura didn't respond. Only then did she listen to him draw closer. There was another pause before he pushed past the curtains to join her on the balcony. Sakura's lips tilted in a slightly arrogant smile as she watched him.

"Greetings. Took you long enough. General Haruno of the Forest Kingdom," she then replied.

Prince Sasuke was tall and handsome, as rumors had indicated even back home. He had coal-colored hair with bangs falling into his eyes. His eyes were almost dark enough to be called black. A pointed chin and a straight nose added to the impression of nobility ingrained into his very face. His high-collared vest was dark blue with silver piping and matching silver buttons. Underneath, he wore a white shirt with the sleeves folded once to expose his gloved hands. The supple leather of his boots identified them easily as meant for riding rather than walking long distances.

"Did I interrupt a riding lesson? My apologies," Sakura said. She watched Sasuke's eyes widen slightly. He was polite enough not to ask how she had guessed where he had been.

"Not a lesson. I usually ride my horse in the mornings," he answered. He hesitated for a moment and then added, "If you would like, you would be most welcome to join me in the future."

Sakura sighed.

"No need to be so polite with me. If it's an activity that you prefer for its solitude, it's best I don't intrude," Sakura said as she extended her hand. Sasuke eyed it before he reached out to grasp it in a firm shake. His shoulders relaxed slightly as he took in her words. The tentative smile he gave her was surprisingly innocent.

"That's… quite a relief. I must confess that I was told to expect a giggling noble lady, not a level-headed general," Sasuke admitted. Sakura tried not to laugh at that. She pretended to cough as she concealed her smile behind her gloved hand. When she regained control of her emotions, Sakura raised her eyebrows at him.

"I don't mean to be rude, but it seems that you haven't read up on foreign affairs lately, Prince Sasuke," Sakura noted. When Sasuke stared at her, Sakura reached into the crisp white jacket of her uniform to fish out the thin silver chain hanging around her neck. It was the one piece of ornamentation she wore besides the medals on her uniform. From the chain hung a round pendant molded into the shape of a sun. In the center of the sun was a small impression where a yellow gem rested. It was the unmistakable symbol of the royal family of the Forest Kingdom.

"Just… a moment, please," Sasuke said. Sakura patiently waited as he processed all the information.

"You're… The Flower of the Forest Kingdom?" he asked. Sakura laughed as she heard the ridiculous moniker.

"I haven't heard that name in a while. But yes, I suppose that one of the names I've been called," answered Sakura. After a slight pause, she put her fist over her heart as she bowed her head.

"My full title is Princess Sakura Haruno, General of the Armies of the Forest Kingdom and Duchess of the Southern Tea Isle," she added.

There was a long silence as she let Sasuke think. He regarded her with fresh curiosity.

"Duchess?" was the first thing he asked. The question surprised her but she liked surprises.

"Yes. The Northern Tea Isle is held by your country, correct?" she said. Sasuke nodded. They stood there looking at each other until Sasuke let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Well, duchess or not, I think I'm just grateful you're not another woman on the prowl for a husband," he finally declared as he extended his hand to her. Sakura fixed him with another smirk.

"No offense to you, Prince, but you're not my type at all," she responded as she grasped his hand in a firm shake.

* * *

Eyebrows rose when everyone in the palace began to notice Prince Sasuke's behavior around the visiting noble. There was nothing improper about his conduct. Rather, he was a perfect gentleman as he escorted her around the enormous building. This in itself was a vast departure from the way that he normally sent noble ladies crying all the way home.

They ate lunch together on the terrace in the back. Sakura waved away the servants who tried to stand over them with parasols to shield her from the darkening rays of the sun.

"I must confessed that I'm surprised," Sasuke commented. Sakura glanced up at him as she speared a cherry tomato on the end of her fork.

"Most women are obsessed with staying pale. We once had a countess stay for the weekend and she refused to leave her room during the day for fear of tanning," he elaborated. Sakura smiled.

"I think traveling on horseback for military campaigns doesn't leave a girl much choice in the matter of fair skin," she answered. There was an awkward pause.

"My apologies. I didn't mean to critique your appearance," Sasuke said. But Sakura shook her head.

"Being pale is the mark of a poor leader. The man who sits in his tent gorging himself on wine is pasty and distant. It is the leader who rides with his men who is bronzed and beloved," recited Sakura as her gaze grew distant.

"I didn't take you for a person who recites poetry," quipped Sasuke. Sakura offered a cheeky smile as she squeezed another cherry tomato between her teeth. The fruit burst in her mouth, flooding it with sweet pulp and seeds.

"It's not poetry. My father used to say that to me," she corrected.

After lunch, Sasuke continued his tour of the palace. There were four floors along with three distinct sections of the castle. The western wing housed visiting nobles and their families. The eastern wing was comprised of mainly the apartments for the royal family and closest friends. The central wing connected the two sections and this was where the public rooms such as the libraries, ballrooms, and dining halls were. There was another section of the palace- a smaller building in the back that seemed to sit alone as an annex.

Sasuke pointed to it as they looked out the window on the second floor.

"That's the servants' quarters. There's an underground tunnel that connects it to the kitchens in the basement," explained Sasuke. Sakura tried not to look so surprised. But the servants' quarters matched the rest of the palace with its white walls and shining blue roof. On the stone chimney sat two young boys covered in soot. This place even employed chimney sweeps for the servants. It was strange to see the servants' quarters being maintained so carefully. Had Sasuke not explained, she wouldn't have thought it was the place for the staff to live.

Sakura thought back to the servants' quarters in the castle at home. As a child, she had spent countless hours sneaking around the cool halls. The flickering torchlight warped and elongated her shadows. Equal parts nervous and excited, she squeezed her damp palm around her cousin's. And Sasori looked back at her for a brief instant to give her a reassuring smile. They snuck around the skirts of the scullery maids and chefs. As they weaved their way through the loud clamor of the kitchen, they snuck pastries hot from the oven that had been left to cool on the counters. The flaky treats burnt their tongues with the taste of butter as they gobbled them down. And if some of the kinder maids found them, they would sneak them small cups of sweet orange juice before shooing them off.

The rest of the tunnels were dark and damp- some even had moss or thick lines of ivy burrowing between the stones. Rats squeaked by and Sakura tried her best not to squeal whenever Sasori kicked one aside. But the game was too fun to stop. And by the time they reached the rooms where the servant girls slept, their eyes were accustomed to the dark. Together Sakura and Sasori ran their hands over straw-filled mattresses and shushed each other as they ducked into corners whenever someone walked past.

When they were finally caught, they fled, giggling as someone's scolding echoed down the halls. And then they would run all the way up to the courtyard with their hands linked as they weaved past donkeys carrying sacks of flour and stable boys leading horses by their reins. Only when they reached the safety of her room did they collapse into laughter with their hands still clasped together.

When Sakura felt Sasuke's stare on the side of her face, she realized that she had zoned out. Clearing her throat, she took a step away from the window.

"Shall we continue?" she quickly suggested. Sasuke studied her expression for a moment before he nodded, obviously too polite to press her.

As they walked on through the palace, Sakura caught Sasuke's gaze flickering down to her hip more than once. It took her a moment to realize that her sword was hanging there. When she rested her hand on the hilt, Sasuke smiled.

"That doesn't look like it's just for decoration," he commented. It wasn't uncommon for military officers to have decorative swords on their person. But Sakura tilted her head to one side as she let her fingers slip off her weapon.

"I'm by no means the best swordfighter but I can hold my own," Sakura answered as vaguely as she could.

"Would you like to spar?" Sasuke offered.

Sakura arched an eyebrow as she took a step back from him.

* * *

"I thought you said you weren't so good with the sword," Sasuke said between pants. He rubbed his hand across his forehead. His palm came away wet with sweat. Sakura held her stance for an extra moment before she relaxed. Back straightening and legs coming together, she sheathed her blade. There were a few beads of sweat dotting her temples that she carelessly brushed away. But her chest rose and fell in big breaths too as she smiled at him.

"I'm not. But I did go to the military academy," she answered. Hands on her hips, she took a few deep breaths before tossing a smile his way.

"Best 3 out of 5?" suggested Sakura. Sasuke shook his head.

"I don't think I'd last another two rounds. You win," he puffed.

Despite trouncing Sasuke soundly, Sakura didn't rub her victory in his face. And in return, the prince didn't seem to carry any bitterness about being defeated by a woman. They handed off their weapons to the waiting servants and headed back into the palace together. Sakura was certain that there had been curious faces watching them from the windows but didn't say anything about them.

Sasuke showed her to her apartment again in the western wing.

"We'll wash up and meet in the library in an hour?" he said. Sakura agreed. Sasuke departed while Sakura retreated past the double doors and closed them behind her.

The royal family had very obviously given her one of the finer apartments in the palace. Sakura walked around once, counting the rooms. There was a large bedroom along with a private bathroom. At the back of the apartment were two smaller bedrooms. Through a set of glass-paneled doors was a large sitting room that included a large piano and a view of the sprawling palace grounds in the back. Standing at one of the windows, Sakura looked outside for a moment. Then, shaking her head, she shut the curtain and turned on her heel.

As she stood in the bedroom unbuttoning her uniform, there was a knock on the door. After a pause, the door opened and Sakura could hear footsteps. They were women's shoes, judging from the tap of heels in the marble entrance. Fingers pulling the tie out of her ponytail, Sakura opened the door to the bedroom to greet her unexpected visitor.

"Pardon the intrusion, Your Highness!" a voice squeaked before she had a chance to speak.

There was a girl standing there in the starched maid uniform. Her head of red hair was bowed low, staying that way for a long time before it dared to rise again. Sakura leaned against the doorframe as she waited for the girl to speak.

"I've been sent to serve as Your Highness' personal servant during your stay," she chirped out. Sakura arched an eyebrow as she noticed the other person standing somewhat behind her. She was still bowing, long black hair covering her face.

"And you?" Sakura prompted.

"I am also here to serve Your Highness," she answered in a smooth, soft voice. A smile curled Sakura's lips.

"Very well. Your names?" Sakura went on.

"Moegi… Highness," the redhead immediately peeped in a shaky voice.

"Haku, Your Highness," the black-haired girl said afterward.

"I'd assume that the Uchiha's would only send the finest servants so I'll expect you to carry out your jobs. I wake early in the morning so I'll need breakfast then. In exchange, I won't ask for you late at night so you can get enough rest. I don't have many clothes but I do ask that you always keep my uniform clean and ironed. Do you understand?" she briskly stated. Both servants nodded with attentive gazes. Sakura's eyes lingered on Haku for a moment longer.

"Very well. Then would you mind taking my uniform to be cleaned?" Sakura said as she shed her jacket and handed it off to Haku.

"And would you mind running a bath for me please, Moegi?" requested Sakura of the other servant.

A little under an hour later, Sakura was clean. The vast array of soaps and fragranced oils provided for her had been a little overwhelming. With Moegi's help, Sakura decided that each day, she would pick a new scent until she had gone through the collection. With hair smelling like lavender, Sakura dressed in a simple dark blue shirt with long sleeves. On the bottom, she wore tan riding pants. When she pulled on her boots, Haku and Moegi exchanged quiet titters.

"What?" Sakura asked with a smile of her own. Moegi promptly blushed.

"Oh, my apologies, Highness. It's just that… you're much less intimidating out of uniform," the redhead admitted with a nervous giggle. Sakura shrugged.

"That makes sense. And by the way, I prefer General to Highness," she replied as she got to her feet.

"Of course, General. We will keep this in mind," Haku interceded with Moegi turned red from embarrassment again.

"I'm off. Prince Sasuke said to meet at the library. That's in the other wing, correct?" Sakura said as she made her way to the door. Moegi and Haku followed her.

"Yes, General. He most likely means the library on the third floor across from the small music room. Would you like us to escort you?" Haku said.

"I'll be fine," Sakura insisted.

"The library doors are just after the statue of the lion, General. You shouldn't have too much trouble finding them," added Moegi. Thinking back to the servants back at her own castle who had seen her off with the same worried expressions, Sakura smiled again.

"Thank you. I'm sure I'll manage," she said before she walked out of the apartment and into the hallway. Hands tucked into her back pockets, she backtracked the steps she and Sasuke had taken down the hall toward her apartment. When she found the right staircase, she climbed it up to the third floor. Taking a moment to reorient herself, she turned to the left, crossing through the central wing. When she reached the end of the incredibly long hallway, she took a sharp turn to the right and slowed her gait to look for the statue that Moegi had mentioned. Sakura passed a shining suit of armor and a statue of a mermaid before she found what she was looking for. The giant feline sat upright, eyes glaring ahead and teeth just slightly bared.

Without hesitation, she grasped the cold metal handle and pulled the door open. It swung soundlessly. But rather than unending rows of shelves, a foyer remarkably similar to that of her own apartment met her. Frowning, Sakura took a moment to glance back at the hallway. Perhaps there was another statue of a lion that she had missed.

"Hello? Is someone there?" a voice called from further in the apartment.

Sakura faced a real dilemma. Clearly, she had found the wrong room. Now did she ignore the voice and quietly sneak out and leave this person wondering what had happened? Or, taking the polite route, did she apologize and explain her mistake?

Heaving a sigh, Sakura let her sense of honor win out again. Stepping into the apartment, she let the door swing shut behind her.

"Excuse me, but I was told that this was the library and… clearly, I'm mistaken," Sakura sheepishly said as she ventured forward.

"If you're lost then you must be our visiting noble," the voice chuckled in response. Curiosity overcame Sakura as she twisted the knob to open the door where her mysterious conversation partner was.

Tucked into the large four-poster bed was a man with dark hair and dark eyes. He was clearly an Uchiha, just from his appearance. And despite the warm weather, he was wearing a robe and an extra blanket had been draped across his lap. In his hands was a worn book. His thumb was tucked between the pages, as if marking his place. His face was pale and his features attractive, bordering almost on delicate.

"You're the General I've been hearing about. Forgive me. I would stand to greet you but my physician has advised strongly against any activity," he said, gesturing to the rest of his body swathed in comforter. Sakura tried her best not to laugh, unsure whether he was joking or not. When he offered her a smile, she felt herself relax a little.

"I'm Prince Itachi Uchiha, hidden invalid of the Mountain Kingdom," he added with a touch of humor.

"It's quite alright. It's a pleasure to meet you," Sakura replied as she extended her hand to him. They shook hands and she observed that he had a firm grip. She gave an internal nod of approval. A strong handshake was always a good indicator of personal character.

"Again, very sorry for intruding. I was supposed to meet with your brother at the library and apparently my sense of direction only applies to the outdoors," Sakura wryly stated as she released his hand. Itachi's eyebrows rose the slightest bit when his brother came up but he didn't elaborate. Instead, he gestured to his left with his book.

"You were quite close. The library is just next-door. I'm actually grateful you lost your way. I don't get many visitors," responded Itachi.

They chatted idly about some other polite things for another moment before Sakura politely excused herself and left his chambers. Sasuke met her at the library shortly after and they spent the rest of the afternoon touring other parts of the palace before having supper with the King and Queen. Sakura didn't bring up the absence of the other prince at the table but she did notice it acutely. After supper was obligatory socializing with some of the other nobles. But throughout the rest of the afternoon and into the evning, she couldn't help but think back to the random and slightly embarrassing encounter she had had. Those feelings she kept inside until she could retire for the night.

Sakura entered her apartment and simply stood in the foyer for a good minute, just taking a moment to breathe deeply. Someone had wound the grandfather clock standing beside the door. It ticked steadily, a background metronome as Sakura organized her thoughts. Only when she had separated all the day's events in neat slots in her head did Sakura make her way to the bedroom and paused in the doorway.

Pressing her palms to her cheeks, Sakura felt that her face was a little warm. She sat down at the desk, hands itching to do something- anything, really. So she picked out a sheet of paper and smoothed it down with her hands. Hefting the fountain pen in her fingers, she carefully thought out what to write. After some hesitation, she lowered the nib to the paper.

_Dear Sasori,_

Lifting the pen, she paused for a moment.

_Have you ever mistaken a bedroom for a library? Because apparently I'm the sort of fool who would do that_.

* * *

A week later, more visitors passed through the front gates. Trumpets sounded to announce the royal guests. Partway down the mountain on horseback, Sakura and Sasuke yanked their reins, bringing their horses to a sudden stop. Kaze gave a little wheeze of irritation at the rough treatment and Sakura patted his neck in apology.

"That sounds like him," Sasuke said as he tried to catch his breath. He looked over at Sakura who simply nodded.

"We should head back to greet them," added Sasuke.

Expression determinedly neutral, Sakura clicked her tongue to urge Kaze forward. Sasuke followed, easily catching up to her. She could feel his eyes on her as they weaved their way through the forest. They had deviated from the path and let the horses naturally find their way back. Hands loosely holding the reins, Sakura let out a soft sigh. The sunlight slanted in through the branches, flecking the back of Kaze's neck in pools of shimmering gold.

"You look like you're riding out to battle," remarked Sasuke. She looked over at him and saw that he was joking. A smile curled her mouth too at his words.

"I'll have to assume that your relationship with your brother is less than ideal," Sasuke added. The smile immediately dropped. Her expression hardened as she directed her gaze ahead.

"He is not my brother. I have always been an only child," she responded with a steely edge to her voice. There was a long pause. Sasuke blew out a long breath, attracting her gaze again.

"You may not believe me… but I think I understand," answered Sasuke. He cast his eyes up at the sky and then met her searching look. The way his mouth quirked up on just one side made his smile somehow sad. For a short moment, Sakura somehow knew that he wasn't lying.

By the time they made it back to the palace half an hour later, they were laughing and joking again. They left their horses at the stables and weaved through the kitchens on the way back into the castle. Sasuke swiped a couple turnovers fresh from the oven. He tossed her one and then popped the other in his mouth, immediately sucking in quick breaths as the hot pastry burnt his tongue. Sakura let hers cool a few extra moments before she wolfed it down too.

"Oh, peaches," she commented with approval.

"Wonderful job, sir," Sakura added as they walked past the chef. Sasuke also nodded his acknowledgement.

"Thank ya kindly, Prince, General," the portly man called after them.

"On the other hand, you, my friend, smell absolutely atrocious," Sakura commented as they climbed the stairs together.

"You're no flower yourself. I suppose it would be most polite to wash up before greeting guests. But it would also be rude not to greet them quickly," he thought out loud.

"Simple. Greet guests from a distance and hope that your stench keeps them at bay if they try to kiss your ring," quipped Sakura. They chuckled as they pushed past the door and emerged in the first floor hallway. Sasuke elbowed her, pretending to try to walk faster than her. In retaliation, she bumped her hip against his and quickened her pace as well. By the time they arrived in the central wing where the entrance was, Sakura's cheeks were pink with laughter.

"Ah, and there is young Prince Sasuke now with the Princess," one of the Uchiha nobles said as they rounded the corner. Sakura swallowed hard when she recognized the bright gold glow of Naruto's hair. She could feel Sasuke carefully measuring her expression so she let the cold yet neutral veneer of professionalism slip into place. Back straightening and chest forward, she strode up to them.

"Your Highness, this is Prince Sasuke Uchiha of the Mountain Kingdom. Prince Sasuke, this is Prince Naruto of the Forest Kingdom," the noble announced rather grandly.

"I believe that I've asked not to be called that, My Lord," Sakura interjected. She watched the man turn bright red as he took in her words. Snuffling behind his moustache, he quickly cleared his throat.

"Yes, of course. My mistake, General," he blurted out. But Sakura wasn't paying attention to him. Head tilting back, she turned to face Naruto.

"Sakura, you got here so much faster than we did. I'm glad you arrived safely," Naruto greeted her with a warm smile. But when he extended his arms for a hug, Sakura lowered herself to her right knee with her fist over her heart.

"Welcome, _Prince_ Naruto. I am pleased to hear of your safe journey as well," Sakura answered in a crisp voice. When she rose again, she could see the disappointment shining in Naruto's eyes. His arms hung sadly for an extra moment before they slowly lowered. As she rolled her sleeves up, she noticed Sai standing a little ways back and acknowledged him with a nod.

"I'm sure Prince Naruto and his party are tired after their travels. Please escort them to their rooms and we can all get to know one another better over supper," Sasuke said to one of the waiting nobles. They bowed in response. Sasuke then glanced at Sakura who raised her eyebrows in response.

"And you, my friend, I will see you for supper as well. I should wash the stink of horse off me," added Sasuke. Sakura cracked a wry smile.

"I should do the same. We will meet again as civilized humans, I suppose," answered Sakura. Without another glance in the direction of her cousin, Sakura turned and strode off down the hall in the direction of the western wing. Sasuke walked off in the opposite direction to his own room in the eastern wing.

Climbing up to the third floor, Sakura didn't bother to call for her servants to bathe. It wasn't long until supper would be served and she didn't want to interrupt what little time they had to eat before the scramble to serve the nobility. So she took a shower, scrubbing herself with the assortment of fragranced soaps and oils provided. And then she stood in front of the mirror running a comb through her long hair. She worked through each tangle with patience until her hair hung in a straight sheet down the side of her throat and over her chest.

When she opened the wardrobe, she found that her uniform had already been cleaned and placed inside. Even all the wrinkles had been neatly pressed out with an iron. Nodding approvingly at the diligence, she slipped into the crisp white blouse and folded the collar into place. She pulled on the tight white pants that, Sakura privately suspected, if she were to gain a few pounds, would no longer fit her. But for now, she buttoned the pants and they conformed perfectly to her legs. As she stood slipping cufflinks into her shirt, there was a knock on the door.

"General, may I enter?" Haku said after a moment.

"Yes," Sakura replied. When the door opened, Haku immediately averted her eyes. She held out something to her with both hands. Sakura reached out and took what turned out to be an envelope with a seal pressed into the wax.

"Prince Naruto requested that I deliver this to you. He said it was from your friend, General," Haku explained. But as soon as Sakura flipped the envelope over, she saw the bright wax seal holding the flap down. With a sigh, she read the letter inside.

_Dear Sakura,_

_I'm a little insulted you wouldn't stop by for tea before leaving, but I also understand you have your own obligations. I'm entrusting this letter to the Prince and hope you'll be able to read it during your journey. Hopefully he won't drop it in mud or accidentally set it on fire or whatever other bumbling things he does._

_I will miss you, obviously. I've been spending time with a private tutor recently, though and that's been able to occupy some of my time. Father says that a young noble lady does not need to be so educated. But mother said that a foolish woman earns a foolish husband so she settled the matter. I'm learning history and literature in the mornings. My music tutor comes after lunch and he tortures me with the harp and the flute for a few hours. I would beg father to fire him, but he's so pleasant to look at that I can't bring myself to._

_I expect letters from you. Many letters. Tell me about the court there. And be sure to let me know if any dashing young man catches your eye. And if that dashing young man has a friend, be a darling and let me know as well. I suspect that cousin of yours will whine and moan about your absence until you return. Hopefully I'll become skilled enough at the harp to drown out some of it. _

_Your friend,_

_Ino_

Laughing a little, Sakura refolded the letter and set it down on the desk. She resumed buttoning her cuffs as she turned back to the mirror. Haku hovered in the entrance.

"Should I assist you, General?" she offered. But Sakura glanced at her for a moment before she shook her head.

"I didn't have any servants in the military academy or on the battlefield. I'm used to doing this much on my own," Sakura replied. Nodding, Haku tried to divert her troubled gaze elsewhere. As she folded her hands in front of her, she drew Sakura's attention again. When Sakura pulled her jacket from the armoire, Haku moved to help her. She held the jacket, guiding Sakura's arms through the sleeves. Sakura's sharp eyes trailed over her as she fit the buttons through the matching holes.

"You seem a little young. Are your parents part of the castle staff?" asked Sakura as she picked up the gold epaulettes that attached to the shoulders of her uniform. Haku quickly grabbed them to fix them in place. Chuckling a little at the enthusiasm, Sakura moved on to the braided lengths of gold cord called the aiguillette. It hung from the end of her right epaulette and fastened to the first button of her uniform. It was actually three cords hung together, supposedly to support the three principals of Konoha's military.

_Discipline, honor, and pride_, the instructor's at the academy always recited.

"No, General. My parents passed away last year," Haku replied as she finished adjusting the epaulettes to hang straight. The golden fringes sparkled nicely against the starched white of the jacket.

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Sakura. Haku meekly bowed her head. She stood watching as Sakura brushed off the front of the uniform and then turned to look herself over in the mirror. Fingers tightening her ponytail, Sakura purposely kept her eyes trained on her reflection.

"Even so, I've been wondering about something. Would you mind if I asked you a question, Haku?" ventured Sakura. Haku's eyes widened.

"Of course not, General," she politely answered.

"How on earth did a boy come to disguise himself as a servant girl?" inquired Sakura.

Haku stood paralyzed while Sakura continued casually adjusting her hair and then her collar. With a nod, Sakura deemed herself satisfactory and then looked over her shoulder at Haku. The servant's dark eyes were wide and unmoving.

"Ah, that face tells me that I'm right. You wouldn't be very good at poker," observed Sakura. That seemed to jolt Haku out of the fright. Cheeks turning a deep shade of red, Haku gulped.

"Don't worry. It was out of personal curiosity that I asked. Your secret's safe with me," Sakura promised with a reassuring smile. Haku only nodded.

"That aside, let me know if a letter comes for me in the next day or so. I'm off to supper," she added. Claping Haku once on the shoulder, Sakura flashed another smile before she strode past. The door swung shut after her and Haku stood still rooted in place. It would take a while for those feet frozen by terror to start working again.

And two days later, a letter did come for Sakura. It didn't arrive in the rookery like all of the others typically did. Instead, a bird flew straight at her window and tapped at the glass until Sakura let it inside. Rather than the traditional ravens that the Mountain Kingdom seemed to favor or the hawks that were so popular back in the Forest Kingdom, the sender had used a brown falcon with a splash of black across its back. The bird calmly settled on the windowsill while Sakura slit the envelope open and pulled out the page inside.

_Dearest_,

_I'm glad to hear of your safe arrival in the Mountain Kingdom. I must confess that I'm flattered you would think to write to me so quickly upon your arrival. And I apologize in delaying my letter to you. I spent a full two days laughing at your letter before I could think to reply. I'll imagine that your new friend must be handsome to have you so flustered upon first meeting. I'd encourage you to woo him so you can marry, but I fear I would grow too jealous and slay him- I don't think you would approve of that. _

_It's good that the Uchiha's have received you warmly. I imagine that your trip through the wilderness with your horse was nothing short of a magnificent playdate. You never were good at sitting still for too long. The royal family's relationship with the Uchiha's has been improving lately so I strongly urge you to secure favor with them. The Dragon of the Mountain Kingdom is a strong ally but an even stronger enemy._

_Mother visited Whitewave briefly last month. She had business nearby and dropped in to see how I was doing. She says all is well at home. My cousin Gaara is running things well. Mother says it was a good choice on your part to appoint him as the Lord of the Isle while you're away. The gold coffers are full but not overflowing. Last year's yield was good and this year's crops seem to be growing well as well. The people are content. I'd almost think the peace to be boring if I didn't know what the opposite result was._

_Court, I suspect, will be dull (though it is with or without you). I'm scheduled to return back to the capitol once this affair is over. There, I assume, the Queen will invite me to another one of her dreadful tea parties and try to set me up with some airheaded girl. But with you gone, I suppose I can make an excuse about needing to return home to Plumeria to help care for affairs. _

_To be honest with you, Darling, I am a bit glad that you were able to get away from all of this for a bit. Consider this your moratorium and enjoy it while it lasts. I hear the summer season in the mountains is temperate and mild- just the way you like it. My only request is that you not return home some haggard, pale mountain-woman. That might break my heart a little._

_All my love,_

_Sasori_

Sakura smiled as she read over the letter one more time. Sasori's sarcasm was thick and it always managed to cheer her up. The falcon that had carried the letter over to them didn't fly off as she expected and so she realized that it was that the bird was waiting for her reply.

"Pushy," she scoffed out loud. But then she extended her arm toward the creature and the falcon only hesitated a moment before hopping on. She poured water into a dish for the bird to drink before she took out a clean sheet of stationary and chose her best fountain pen.

Just as she finished sealing her envelope in red wax, Sakura heard a knock on the door.

"Would you like to go visit the market? I've heard that the traveling performers there are very talented," Sasuke called out without bothering to enter. Sakura stamped her seal into the soft wax before she secured the envelope to the falcon's leg.

"To Whitewave," she said. The bird took off with a flap of its powerful wings. Sakura sat watching the creature climb up into the sky for a moment before she got to her feet. She pulled her cloak off the coat rack and wrapped it around her shoulders. As she opened the door, Sasuke, who had been leaning against it, stumbled inside one step before steadying himself.

"Would they have any seafood? I'm craving a good fish," said Sakura. Smiling curling his lips, Sasuke shrugged.

"Fish from the ocean wouldn't last this far up the mountain. But I'm sure they'd have some goods from the nearby hatchery. Their salmon is always good," he offered.

"Sounds like a plan," she returned.

"And we're just going to happen to forget to invite that obtuse cousin of yours," added Sasuke. Sakura laughed outright at that.

"Your plan is getting better and better by the second. Keep talking."

* * *

I will do my best to update this story regularly. Leave a review to let me know what you think. I can also be found at my tumblr (link in my profile) for those with questions.


	2. Breed

I don't think I've ever had senioritis so bad that it interfered with my ability to write. This is possibly a new record for my procrastination, hence why this update has taken more than a week. Thank you for all of the feedback on the first chapter. I'm really excited for this project because this is really my first time dabbling in the genre/courtly drama sort of story. Hopefully I'll be able to figure out what I'm doing along the way, which is really no different from how all my other stories work out too.

* * *

Amaryllis

Chapter 2: Breed

_Born and raised for this life_

The market was a crowded jumble of noises and smells. The fragrance of cooking meat and imported spices assaulted the senses. Merchants yelled out their advertisements while children shrieked with laughter and chased each other between the legs of adults. Goats bleated and chickens squawked.

"I'm sure this is nothing compared to what you have back home," Sasuke had warned her on the ride down the other side of the mountain. Sakura laughed as Kaze cantered down the paved road.

"It's true. I was raised in a port city. Everything seems small," she answered. Sasuke raised his eyebrows.

"You didn't grow up in the capital of your country?" queried Sasuke.

"No. I grew up in the Southern Tea Isle," she answered.

The capitol city of Plumeria was where she had grown up. Though the Forest Kingdom had long ago conquered the Southern Tea Isle, it had always been given a special privilege of running autonomously. While it paid the same taxes and pledged allegiance to the rulers, it had also handled its own affairs without outside interference while receiving protection from the vast armies of the Forest Kingdom. The Haruno family had thrived there for centuries as it supplied the entire kingdom with tea leaves and high quality textiles.

"I've never had a chance to visit Plumeria before. What is it like?" inquired Sasuke.

"It's beautiful this time of year. We're further away from the equator than the Northern Isle is so all of our farms are to the north. But Plumeria is down south, all the way at the bottom of the coast. We're in the water so all the houses are built on wooden or stone stilts. And all the roofs of the houses are painted different colors like blue and green and yellow. My father used to say that the homes of our city were like an artist's palette after a long day's work. There's a huge central bazaar and then at the north of the city is our home," Sakura remembered, her voice softened by nostalgia. Just bringing up the details made her feel like she could taste salt in the air again.

"The Floating Castle," Sasuke recalled from his textbooks on foreign affairs.

The clear waters of the sea reflected everything from the castle to the sky and clouds above. It gave the illusion of a white stone structure suspended in the air. Sasuke remembered gazing in wonder at the paintings illustrating it in his books and wishing desperately to go there.

Sakura had grown up wandering the cool stone halls and admiring the ethereal glow of the white stone in the torchlight. There were very few doors in the entire castle. Instead, there were large archways. And when more privacy was needed, white curtains were hung up. Whenever a strong sea breeze swept through, the curtains billowed and waved like fat clouds floating about. Giggling, Sakura danced through these fluffy curtains, marveling at the sun-warmed dance partners they could become. The smell of the salty sea clung to her hair and clothes no matter where she went. Barefoot and breathless, she tiptoed the halls and squealed with laughter when her father caught her sneaking about past bedtime and threw her over his shoulder. She remembered drinking sweet coconut water from blue glass cups and biting into mangos still warm from the sun.

"Mother ascended the throne before I was born but I stayed in Plumeria with Father until I turned six. He had to return to the capitol so he brought me with him," Sakura recalled.

One foggy morning, she had woken to the urgent voices of men echoing through the halls. Blanket draped around her, she snuck out to see what was going on. Sitting in the throne was her father with his white hair messy from sleep. But his dark eyes were intense as he listened to the men speaking. His right hand gripped the armrest tightly while his left was under his chin to keep it up. Sakura stood in the doorway, watching with wide eyes until her father noticed her. He held out his hand to her.

"Your Majesty, the border reports have been getting more and more urgent. We desperately need you back in the capitol as soon-" one of the men insisted. The talk abruptly stopped when Sakura ran through their legs with her bare feet slapping against the stone floor. She sat in the crook of her father's powerful arm so he could lift her into his lap where she sat snuggled in layers of crocheted blanket and protective, fatherly security. Sakura knew it wasn't polite to interrupt adults so she lightly patted the back of her father's hand until he bent his head down to listen to her whisper while the men resumed speaking.

"Is Mother alright? Are these men here about Mother?" she asked in a little voice.

"In a way, sweetheart. You can stay and listen if you're very quiet," he answered with a brief smile. Sakura stared up into his tanned face before she kissed his chin. His stubble was scratchy against her cheek.

"Good girl," said the King before he focused his attention back on the men.

The servants were loading the ship by dawn.

"Daddy?" Sakura sleepily said as she watched the men move back and forth lugging trunks and barrels onto the ship. She sat on her father's right shoulder, blanket still draped around her. The thick teal and green tassels hanging from the edges of the blanket fell across the man's broad shoulder. And though the King usually reminded her to call her "father", he let it slip by this time.

"Yes, Sakura," he said, eyebrows rising. He tilted his head back to look at her. But her eyes were fixed on the workers.

"Are we going to join Mother?" she queried. The King's eyebrows rose even higher. He hadn't expected the little girl to understand so much of the conversation.

"We are. We're going to the capitol. It'll be our home from now on," answered the King. Sakura's forehead puckered.

"But this the capitol. Plumeria: population of nearly 500,000. A thriving port city founded by-" Sakura began dutifully reciting. The King interrupted her with a chuckle. The pride shone warmly in his eyes as he regarded his daughter.

"You are very correct, dear. But I mean the capitol of the entire kingdom. We get to live in the city of Leaves. Do you remember what the castle there is called?" the King asked.

"The Green Heart," she replied a little glumly. The King's smile faltered, as he saw no joy shining back at him. But the Green Heart was not a beautiful palace. It was a castle with fortifications and siege weapons. Castles were big, ugly, hulking things meant to fight wars. There was no beauty in them, Sakura thought even at a young age.

"That means I have to leave Auntie and Uncle behind. And then Sasori can't come either. Whom shall I play with?" Sakura inquired. The King let out a big sigh as he reached up to pat her pink hair still messy and tangled.

"Sasori will come to visit often. And I'm sure you'll make other friends. And your other cousin will come to visit you too, I'm sure," he tried to comfort her. Sakura's frown lifted a notch as she took in his words. She slowly nodded, earning another pat on the head.

"Come on. We'll have breakfast and then we'll head west to see your mother," the King boomed in a cheerful voice as he turned and headed back to the castle. His enthusiasm was infectious. A smile brightened Sakura's expression as she anticipated a breakfast of fresh fruit and iced tea sweetened with honey.

"We had a bazaar there, in the summer. Merchants would come from all around to sell their wares then," Sakura told Sasuke as her thoughts returned to the present. He put his hand on her shoulder to steer her past a man carting a load of cured meats. They paused to look at a stall selling fresh berries harvested in the mountains just that morning. The woman offered them a free taste. They bit into the strawberries, laughing when the juices rolled down their chins. Sasuke dropped gleaming gold coins into the woman's hands while Sakura picked out the plumpest fruits to place in her basket.

"What's the difference between a bazaar and the regular market?" questioned Sasuke as they continued through the bustling streets.

"Well, I know that _bazaar_ is a word of the old tongue, the one they used before our family took possession of the land. Some of the elders know how to speak it but mostly everyone's forgotten. But anyway, the bazaar is only during the summer and there are also celebrations and performances that take place then. The rest of the year the market is there but most of the luxury merchants pack up and move on to another country," said Sakura. Bolts of rich fabric and spices in a dizzying array of colors and fragrances were displayed at wooden stands. Some of the merchants had sold strange and wonderful fruits with equally strange names that felt odd on her tongue when she tried to repeat them.

Shaking off thoughts of the past, Sakura focused on enjoying the sights in front of her. They perused through trinkets from foreign lands and books labeled in unfamiliar languages. Sakura bought two bracelets made with smooth jade beads but kept her coin purse tucked away otherwise.

At noon, Sasuke took her to a tavern for their meal. The two guards Sasuke had brought along with him accompanied them, though they sat at a separate table. Sakura raised an eyebrow at them.

"Too good to sit with us?" she commented.

"…It's not proper, General. Commoners don't sit with nobles," the smaller guard hesitantly replied. Sakura's eyebrow rose even higher.

"But it's proper for you to fall on a sword for them? If propriety bothers you that much, consider how improper it is for a single young woman such as myself to dine with a man. It's much better for her to be dining with three men than one," Sakura said. The two guards mulled over her words. They looked at each other, communicating silently for a long time before they got to their feet and moved. Sasuke watched the exchange with an expression crossed between confusion and amusement.

"I'm sorry. I'm having a little trouble remembering your names," Sakura added.

"We never gave them, General. I'm Suigetsu. This is Juugo," the guard promptly answered. Lips curling up in a smile, Sakura dipped her head toward them in a gesture of respect.

"Thank you for accompanying us today, Suigetsu, Juugo. I feel much safer knowing you two are here," she stated. Juugo's face began to turn a shade of red similar to his hair. Suigetsu coughed, visibly uncomfortable by the sudden gratitude.

"Well, if rumors are right, I don't think you have much need for us, General. Word gets around, you know," said Suigetsu with a nervous laugh. It was Sasuke's turn to raise his eyebrows. Sakura shrugged.

"At the Battle of Yellow River, you slew a hundred men on your own," Juugo spoke up for the first time. Suigetsu slapped him on the back.

"Juugo here's a fan of yours, General. He has a newspaper clipping of you under his mattress," Suigetsu supplied with a wicked smile. Juugo turned pink as he shoved his companion with his shoulder. Sakura tried not to smile.

"Rumors are called rumors and not facts for a reason. It wasn't a hundred men and I wasn't on my own," corrected Sakura. Still, she regaled all three of them with stories of her battles and adventures as they ate their midday meal. And Sasuke, who never seen a day of battle in his life, leaned in closer, engrossed in her tales.

After lunch, they returned back to the market while taking a sort of tour of the city. The capitol of the Mountain Kingdom was called Talast. It was built on the northern side of the mountain, carved into the stone. Talast, though not as large as Plumeria and just half the size of Leaves, was a prosperous city kept rich, in part, by its mining. The Iron Hold in the north was where the iron for weaponry and armor was found. But the mining in Talast was all jewels: diamonds and aquamarines and an array of shining gems that sold for a pretty penny in the neighboring nations. Though the Southern Tea Isle also made some money selling pearls and sapphires, the high quality jewels always came from the Mountain Kingdom.

"I'd heard rumors of the fine craftsmanship of your armor. But this…" Sakura trailed off as she picked up a sword at the blacksmith's stall. She hefted the weapon in her right hand before she raised it to admire the steel in the light. The pointed blade glinted proudly.

"Incredibly light yet sturdy. Beautiful attention to detail," she breathed while carefully setting the sword back in place on the display. The blacksmith placed his hand on his large stomach and bowed.

"Thank you, Milady," he chuckled with pride glinting in his eyes. As they continued walking, Sasuke smiled.

"It seems like you were a good student. You know everything," he commented.

"Talast, capitol, population of around 200,000. Its chief exports are gems, steelwork, and wood. A city that houses the White Palace, residence of the Mountain Kingdom's royal family that is also known for its relative absence of poverty," Sakura smugly recited.

"Well, I know that Leaves is the capitol of your country, known for The Royal Military Academy and…" Sasuke paused to think.

"And not much else," interrupted Sakura with a humorless smile, "The King Regent has not spent much time encouraging growth in many areas." But before the mood could drop much, she quickly changed the subject.

"Although I suppose I can't complain much. I've always spent half my year at Plumeria so I don't see the capitol nearly as much as you might think I do,"

They rode back up to the palace late in the afternoon. The soldiers parted with them along the way, heading back to the barracks located halfway between the city and the palace. Basket full of goods resting on Kaze's back between her legs, Sakura kept a tight hold of the reins in her right hand.

"I'm sorry that we couldn't find any fish for you. Perhaps it's too early in the season," remarked Sasuke.

"It's quite alright. There's no sense in crying over something I can't have yet," answered Sakura with a laugh.

* * *

"A party?" Sasuke repeated over dinner later that day. Naruto's fork, laden with roasted chicken, froze on the way to his mouth. Sitting at the head of the table was Fugaku, holding up his glass so a servant could fill it with more wine. The Queen sat to his left, chewing cheerfully through her roasted vegetables. Sasuke was seated to her left, and then Naruto sat across from him. And in the seat of honor, at the right of the King, was Sakura. She calmly lowered her fork and knife to her plate, descending upon a piece of chicken breast. Her eyes barely flickered upward toward the King at his sudden announcement.

"Yes, I think a royal ball to welcome our guests is in order," Fugaku said before taking a sip of his drink. Mikoto beamed.

"A wonderful idea," the Queen agreed.

Sakura set her fork and knife down and sat chewing her food in slow, measured motions. Her eyes met Sasuke's across the table. The corner of her mouth curled into a sarcastic smile. Sasuke choked on his wine a little as he tried not to laugh.

"A wonderful idea," Sasuke repeated with a faint sigh after dinner was over and they had retreated to one of the music rooms that no one ever used. Picking up his cup of tea, he turned to face the window. Sakura, seated comfortably on the sofa with her right leg crossed over the left, picked up her own delicate white cup painted with red flowers. Amusement sparkled in her eyes as she eyed him over the rim of her own cup.

"I take it you don't enjoy balls. Is it the dancing? Or the clingy nobles?" she asked.

"Neither. I don't mind social events. It's you I worry about," snorted Sasuke. He pivoted on his heel to look at her. Sakura's eyebrows rose as she set her teacup down on the coffee table. For a moment, she focused on a crease in her beige pants, rubbing over it with her thumb before she gave up with an impatient noise in the back of her throat.

"What on earth would make you worried about me?" Sakura scoffed in return. Her gaze lifted back to Sasuke leaning against the window. Steam rose from his porcelain cup, curling and twisting against his chin before dissipating.

"Your general disdain for nobility, for one," laughed Sasuke without hesitation. Hooking a finger into the high collar of his black vest, he popped open the first button. With his free hand, he proceeded to pull at his necktie until it came undone. It was a flattering shade of sky blue, most likely imported, judging from the high quality.

"I don't 'disdain' anyone for their social standing," Sakura retorted. But as Sasuke lifted his teacup again, she added in a muted voice, "Though I can't abide idiots. And those don't seem to be mutually exclusive." Sasuke lowered his cup.

"This is what I'm talking about," he said. It was Sakura's turn to sigh.

"You'd think with all of the education nobles are given, they'd have some shred of common sense. Some of them do. But many of them don't. Those are the idiots I 'disdain'," insisted Sakura. Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"Am I included with these idiots?" he queried. Blinking with feigned innocence, Sakura pretended to gasp.

"Why, Prince Sasuke, I'm hurt you would think I would be capable of doling out such a base accusation to one of my friends," exclaimed Sakura in an airy voice. She proceeded to fan herself dramatically while taking small, shallow breaths. She only stopped when Sasuke walked over to pick a sugar cube out of the bowl and lob it at her. Sakura caught it in her teacup with a smirk.

"You're no idiot. A true idiot assumes he is the smartest person to have ever lived," she added in her normal tones. Crunching through one of the many shortbreads and cookies served with tea, Sakura relaxed her perfect posture slightly.

"What's next on your list of concerns?" she then asked. Instead of joining her on the sofa, Sasuke sat directly on the coffee table.

"Well, since you asked: your sarcasm. Amusing as we find it, I'm not sure how charmed the court will be," admitted Sasuke with just a touch of humor. It was clear that he wasn't completely joking from the way his smile faded a little.

"Relax, sir. I can be an absolute peach when the need arises," Sakura promised. Though Sasuke's expression didn't show much confidence in her claim, he was polite enough not to contradict her. Instead, they laughed together and finished off their tea.

Sasuke excused himself soon after.

"You'll have to pardon me. Though I'd rather be completely ignoring that pumpkin you call a not-brother, I did promise my mother I would play nice. He says he wants a tour of the palace tomorrow morning. I don't suppose you'd value me enough to spare me some pain and accompany me," Sasuke said. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"My deep devotion to our friendship doesn't quite eclipse the mental anguish such an experience would cause me. I'll be out for my morning ride then so I'll be conveniently unavailable," responded Sakura. Sasuke nodded, as if he had been expecting such a response. He reached out and shook Sakura's hand with exaggerated formality.

"Then I'll see you for lunch on the terrace tomorrow," stated Sasuke before he was gone.

Sakura returned to her apartment. Out of habit, she glanced at the desk pushed up by the window, half-expecting to see an envelope waiting for her. But the desk was as clear as she had left it that morning. Sakura changed out of her clothes and left them in the large basket by the door of her bedroom so Moegi or Haku could take them to be cleaned in the morning. Her immaculate uniform hung in the otherwise bare armoire. Though she had worn it upon arriving at the palace, it hadn't made many appearances since. She changed into a cotton nightgown that fell to her ankles. It was white and had a touch more lace than she had preferred, but the garment was loose enough that it didn't smother her in her sleep.

In the morning, Sakura was one of the first to rise, as usual. She saluted the guards at the front gates as she rode past on Kaze. The horse snorted his pleasure as they galloped along the roads until the paving became dirt. Her fingers clenched the reins tightly until her black leather gloves began to creak from the strain. They rode for much longer than the usual hour or so that they took in the morning. Kaze wasn't complaining. He was a runner, used to striding across long expanses of land as they marched to their next battle. In fact, Sakura didn't realize how long they had been riding until she saw that Kaze had turned them around and directed them back up the mountain in the direction of the palace.

"Welcome back, General. Did you enjoy your morning ride?" Moegi chirruped as she greeted her in the foyer. Haku also bowed in greeting.

"What? Oh… yes, I did," answered Sakura with the vague air of distraction. Tucking her helmet under her arm, she strode off down the hall, Moegi and Haku on her heels.

"What time is it?" she asked as they neared the stairs.

"It is almost 9, General. Prince Sasuke sent a message reminding you not to shed blood at lunch today. Prince Naruto will be joining you," Haku reported. A smile tilted at the corner of his mouth and Moegi quickly covered her lips with her hand to hide her own titter.

"A valid warning. Tell him I'll be on the terrace by noon. And if Prince Naruto is going to be there, tell the kitchen I'll need something stronger than wine," Sakura told them. Haku, who had the better memory of the two, nodded and hurried off to deliver the messages. Moegi continued on behind Sakura, hands clasped behind her.

"Pardon me, General, but is something troubling you?" Moegi ventured as Sakura reached out to open the door to her apartment. Her hand paused. Fingers lingering on the handle, Sakura turned her head to look at the girl. She hesitated for a moment before she gave Moegi a reassuring smile.

"Nothing, really. I just didn't get much sleep," she assured the girl. Moegi didn't seem fooled but she curtsied nonetheless.

It was only later, after she had bathed and dressed, that Sakura told the truth. And even then, it wasn't to a person. She sat down at her desk and picked up a piece of paper. Her wrist felt tense as she penned out the words in clean strokes of black ink.

_Dear Sasori,_

_I wish I could tell you that my thoughts have been of nothing but cherubs and rainbows and tea parties. But the dreams are back and I spent all night tossing and turning. _

Sakura suddenly stopped writing. The tip of her nib dug into the paper for too long and left an ugly blot. She crumpled the paper up and tore it until it lay in a pile of scraps on top of the green blotter. A rush of disgust swelled in her chest as she remembered her physician's words when she had first returned from the war.

"You're suffering from Warrior's Heart, My Lady," he declared as he draped his stethoscope over the back of his neck. He was a distant relative of hers. The light-colored eyes signature of their bloodline betrayed the fact. But Sakura found herself staring at them without really seeing. She tried to trace back the lineage to place him in her family tree. He was the brother-in-law of her second cousin's father. So he was her first cousin once removed? Still, his mouth continued to move and she pretended not to hear the words coming out.

"It's quite common, really. Soldiers returning from war suffer from fatigue, flashbacks, and nightmares. I can prescribe some moon tea to help you sleep but this sort of ailment either improves with time or worsens," he informed her.

"I'm fine," she remembered insisting.

It had been nearly a year since she had returned from her campaign to the eastern border. Over two years of battles and wounded soldiers had never been a laughable matter for her. Sakura's return to the Green Heart had been difficult. Plagued with nightmares and drawing a sword at any loud noise, she had reluctantly taken the Queen's advice and gone to Plumeria to recuperate. Everyone believed that the sea air would be good for her. Sakura knew for a fact that the peaceful ambience had been the thing to save her after months of suffering.

Now, the nightmares were beginning to return. Flashes of sharpened blades and the booms of cannon fire filled her ears at night. But Sakura refused to write a letter to Sasori. He would worry and insist upon riding up to see her at once.

Kneading the heels of her hands into her temples, Sakura sat hunched over at her desk to think. Sucking in calming breaths through her nose, she worked through the noise in her head.

There was no sense in telling Sasori, she finally decided. Getting to her feet, Sakura tossed the scraps into the fireplace. Then she picked up the book she had borrowed from the library the previous week. It was a book on military strategy that she had never come across in her own country. A quick read of the piece had proved supremely dry but also informative. Hundreds of years of the Mountain Kingdom's military exploits had been condensed into those couple hundred pages.

Taking brisk strides into the other wing, Sakura headed into the library to reshelf the tome. She paused at the catalogue to look up the correct location for the book. The correct section was in the left corner farthest from her. As soon as she replaced the book in its rightful place, she skimmed the titles and plucked out a few new titles. She dropped them on the nearest table and repeated the process until she had a formidable pile. But before she could sit to begin reading, there was the distinct thud of a heavy book slamming shut.

"They're throwing a party for you," a voice said from between the shelves. Sakura's head lifted with a startled jerk. Her eyes traced the bottom of his shadow, all the way up until they reached his feet clad in black slippers. A smile lightened her expression when she realized it was Itachi. He was wrapped up in a thick robe the color of the night sky. The intricate designs in silver thread twisting through the fabric reminded Sakura of stars. His hair was loose, falling down the back of his robe while half of it was tucked into the collar of his shirt.

"Do you dance, Highness?" queried Sakura. She shut the book in her hands and then turned to replace it on the shelf.

"Not well, I'm afraid. I learned when I was little, but I've never had a chance to practice," he admitted with a rueful smile. He sat on the edge of the wooden table and picked up one of the old tomes she had stacked there. Sakura watched his fingers trace over the smooth leather spine.

"Do you dance, General?" Itachi asked in turn. It was Sakura's turn to smile with her mouth.

"I haven't had much practice either. We don't have many balls on the battlefield," she commented. Itachi didn't flinch like his younger brother did whenever Sakura alluded to her time in combat. Rather, he seemed amused.

"I suppose a little thing like a dance won't be so frightening for a veteran of war such as yourself," suggested Itachi.

"You're wrong. The only thing scarier than a soldier with a cannon is a noble with some wine in him," sighed Sakura.

Sakura was out on the terrace for lunch like she had promised. But when Sasuke showed up with Naruto on his heels, Sakura shot Sasuke a very dirty look over the rim of her teacup.

"Good afternoon to you too, my friend. Is the tea too bitter for your tastes for you to make such a face?" Sasuke greeted her with a determinedly innocent air. As she set her cup down, Sakura slowly shook her head at him. Sasuke sat at the round table to her left, leaving the seat to her right open for Naruto.

"Hey, Sakura. You must've been up early. Did you have a nice time with your horse?" Naruto greeted her with the same light tone.

"I was up with dawn, Your Highness. And my morning ride with Kaze was very pleasant. Thank you for your concern," she replied in the stiff, mechanical voice she always used for him. Naruto drooped a little in his seat. Even when the servants appeared to serve their food, Naruto didn't seem cheered very much. He helped himself to slabs of steaming pork.

"We managed to get out to the family mausoleum. Prince Naruto didn't seem to enjoy the idea of a dynastic crypt," Sasuke informed her with a pointed flap as he unfolded his napkin and laid it in his lap. Naruto wrinkled his nose.

"Why not put the dead in pine boxes like everyone else? No one wants to see a man just rotting all over the place," interjected Naruto. The silence that ensued could only be described as frigid. The force of Sakura's angry stare on the side of his face made Naruto start to sweat.

"Sometimes men don't have such a luxury. Marching in the stinking mud, sometimes we have no choice but to carry them on our shoulders until we find a place to bury them. There are quite a lot of bogs and marshes in the east. That soil's no good for burying the dead," Sakura finally answered in a measured voice. It was Naruto's turn to blanch. Hands clenching into the top of the tablecloth, he began to apologize. But Sakura turned her head toward Sasuke, completely ignoring the forming apology.

"You never took me to see the crypt," said Sakura. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"You never asked. Would you like to go after lunch?" Sasuke replied.

"I'd like to pay my respects to your ancestors. It would be dishonorable of me not to," answered Sakura.

Sakura spent the rest of the day following Sasuke around the palace grounds. The crypt was indeed as dark and as damp as Sakura had expected. Monstrous carvings of stone gargoyles and lions filled the walls and edged the entrance to every new room. The dried bodies of past Uchiha nobles lay on stone slabs, like exhibits in a desiccated museum. The founder of the Uchiha dynasty, a king named Madara the Terrible, lay in the largest chamber. His body was so old that the thick cape of velvet and fur that had been draped around his shoulders had also partially rotted away. Sakura looked into the dried face of the embalmed body. For an instant, Sakura imagined the arrogant grace that must have embodied that shriveled face.

That night, a falcon came tapping at her window. With a drawn-out sigh, she slit the envelope and unfolded the thick, cream-colored paper. She could smell the salt on it as she read.

_Dearest,_

_Your lack of correspondence would concern me if were a normal person. However, you and I are both far from normal, so I can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that things are probably fine for you. The matter with the pirates was resolved rather quickly, if messily. I instructed my men to hold their fire. And of course, like the geniuses they are, one of them panicked and fired. We destroyed their schooner, of course. The vagabonds were captured and await their trials. I suspect that a few hangings will be in order. _

_I've never liked pirates. Growing up in a port city will do that to any sensible person, I suppose. As for my men, I've punished all of them as one with scrubbing the ship and giving it a full inspection for any problems. I told them that if I find so much as one fraying rope, they'd all be disciplined again. Cruel, I know. But they say power corrupts. This shall be my one small contribution to proving that saying true. _

_I'm currently writing to you from Plumeria. As I predicted, I was called back to Leaves and I promptly spewed out some nonsense about overseeing our family's lands in your absence. The King seems to have forgotten that my cousin Gaara is currently the acting lord. He probably assumes that we leave the castle empty or that we seat a chicken on the throne and let that rule in a person's stead. Sometimes I marvel at how he's become King Regent. And then I remember that one does not become King through competence but through marvelous luck and well-placed relatives. I pray every day for you that that man trips over his own cape and lands facedown on someone's sword or something. Words of the highest heresy, I know. But he is an absolute idiot. I hope you know that._

_I haven't heard many rumors of how you fare in the Mountain Kingdom. I consider this a good sign. If I know something, then the King and Queen they will undoubtedly have heard before as well. Treading on the wrong toes even a little can have disastrous consequences. I'll needlessly remind you to be careful. From your last letter, it seems as if your relationship with the royal family is building steadily. That idiot Naruto has no doubt been instructed to worm his way into the Uchiha family's good graces. The only differences are that you got there faster and that you're not a complete and hopeless fool. Tell him that there's something shiny at the bottom of a well. Perhaps he'll dive in and drown due to his sheer idiocy._

_Thinking of you,_

_Sasori_

Sakura promptly burned the letter containing such insults and blatant treason. It was a wonder that Sasori hadn't accidentally blurted these things out loud. But Sasori was not a fool and he was no coward. In fact, his disdain for the current King Regent and his policies was not a secret. The King's War Council had always consisted of her, Sasori, and a few trusted tacticians and politicians. Sasori's acerbic wit had always been just subtle enough to get the message across. At the time, there was no one better suited for the position of Admiral of the Fleet. Now that they were at peace, Sakura began to worry if his comments might get Sasori into trouble. Still, she thought as she suppressed a chuckle, his letter had been rather amusing.

As she moved to burn the envelope as well, she felt that it was somewhat heavier than she had expected. The falcon perched on the windowsill tilted its head to one side as it watched her turn the envelope upside down. Another sheet of paper, this time significantly thinner, slid out along with a small square of fabric.

_By the way, Mother and I went to the market and found this. It's a little thing but I hope the color reminds you of home until you're able to return to us safely. Mother sends all her love (with none leftover for me, she adds). Maybe I'll try to come up with some strange diplomatic reason to have to visit you soon._

Sakura picked up the piece of fabric, weighing it in her palm. She recognized the smooth feeling of high-quality silk from the Southern Tea Isle. It was a soft shade of lilac with tiny golden suns scattered throughout. When she pulled back the edge of the square, she saw that a pair of earrings was wrapped inside. She held one of the earrings up to the light and admired the way that the polished silver shone brightly. They were simple studs- small blue-green tourmaline in no particular pattern or fancy insignia.

She reached up to touch her earlobe. It had been so long since she had worn any sort of earrings. They were impractical for battle. Still, she smiled as she tucked them back into the square of fabric. They were exactly the color of the clear bay waters from home.

She slept with the earrings tucked under her pillow. Her dreams weren't of clashing swords and blood misting through the air. Instead, she was lying in a hammock by the beach, swaying softly in the strong ocean breeze. Crickets chirped loudly in the tall grasses. She heard her father's voice, rising and falling in murmured words and laughter. The night was cool but she was so comfortable, wrapped up in a soft knitted blanket. And she was safe. It was the first time in a while she had felt that way.

* * *

Sasori's typical days were rather simple. He was awake at dawn, itinerary already overflowing. The Floating Palace was named so because it was built on a system of platforms that kept it raised out of the seawater. The wooden walkways that connected each part of the palace were well sanded to the point that he often walked barefoot to the kitchens. There, he peeked in on the chef and servants beginning the day's cooking. Nevertheless, they had some fresh fruits, a slice of toast, and tea prepared for him that he ate standing at the counter.

A quick plunge into the sea for his morning swim was followed by a dip in the royal bathhouse. The giant room had marble floors with a pool sunken in it. A statue of a lone woman pouring water out of a vase stood at the end of the bath where fresh water gushed in as necessary. One of the servants had tried to explain the mechanics of the water delivery once but Sasori had quickly grown bored and stopped him.

"It's because people like me don't know how to do your job that we need you," Sasori said with a chortle.

After that, Sasori met with his cousin, acting Lord of Plumeria, and counseled him over matters necessary to run the island. Together they met with the commoners who came to court for help with matters and also with the diplomats and merchants also seeking an audience. Lunch was served in the Lily Garden. It was a white gazebo floating on its own platform in the heart of the royal apartments. White water lilies surrounded the gazebo. They had been a gift, bred specifically to thrive in saltwater and Sakura cherished them. Very few people had access to the garden, especially because it was one of Sakura's favorite haunts. Sasori ate lunch there with his mother. The main course was fish wrapped in banana leaves and grilled with mango salsa. Fresh fruits and herbal teas were served in abundance.

"Sakura loves this dish. We should have this again when she returns home," Sasori's mother remarked with a heavy sigh. She pushed her black curls out of her eyes before looking across the table at her son. Sasori dug his fork into the tender flesh, watching the white meat flake off the bone and release wisps of steam.

"I agree. She's not a big fan of boar. I sense she'll be craving nothing but fish for a while," replied Sasori after a moment.

"Has she written?" his mother questioned.

"She'll write soon. I have a good feeling," Sasori replied with a vague air. His mother pursed her lips. Shaking her head, she smiled.

"I don't know how you two do that. It's like you can read each other's minds. Even when you were little," she sighed. Sasori shrugged while popping a forkful of fish in his mouth.

In the afternoon, he headed down to the rest of the city to check in with the locals. Some of them came to him with their troubles and he made an effort to help them as best as he could. The clusters of white flowers with creamy yellow centers released sweet perfume into the air. The plumerias that the city was named for were in bloom all year round. Sakura had the servants put a fresh vase of the flowers in her room in the morning. The perfume of the petals clung to her hair and clothes. Sasori eyed the flowers for an extra moment before turning back to his duties.

At sunset, Sasori rode his palomino around the southern tip of the island, checking for strange ships on the horizon as well as getting the horse some much-needed exercise. The sandy beaches were always beautiful and he regretted not spending more time on them. Shells crunched underfoot and the strong smell of the briny water filled his nose.

Then, he was back to the palace for dinner with his cousin. They spoke over wine and then retired for the night soon after. Sasori moved from the dining room in the center of the palace, heading down the walkway that moved toward the north of the palace. There was a three-way split in the path. The one to the left led to the servants' chambers while the one to the right led to the kitchens. Straight ahead was the path leading to the residential apartments arranged in a vast array of platforms.

Though most of the palace indeed floated in the water, the back of the palace grounds extended onto the edge of a grassy slab of land. It was here in the back that servants could hang the laundry and the large herb garden was kept. Thick, dark vines with light purple flowers climbed up the tall white walls surrounding the palace. Trees twisted up out of the ground, reaching toward the sun with waxy leaves.

Just on the edge of this grassy land was Sakura's apartment. As the technical Duchess of Plumeria, she was of course given the most beautiful of all the residences. It was a two-story building with the same white walls and open arches for windows. The building was rectangular, with its own private terrace in front so that it overlooked the glimmering ocean waters. Fragrant bushes of rosemary grew out front.

On the first floor was her living room, along with spare bedrooms, and even a small armory. On the second floor was Sakura's bedroom, along with her study, and a lounge that only her closest companions dared to set foot in. She had a private bathhouse in back, edged by dark, volcanic rock to maintain privacy.

Despite the fact that Sakura had been gone from the Floating Palace for almost a year, the guards stationed there reported for their posts every day. The maids still flitted in and out to clean. The large aquarium that spanned along an entire room in the living room was maintained and the color fish fed on schedule. Sometimes Sasori paused to stare at the building, missing the golden glow of her windows at night.

With a sigh, Sasori backtracked to the rest of the apartments where he slept. The rooms were set up in a sort of spiral, with smaller guest rooms on the outer edges and the royal apartments seated closer to the center. The biggest apartments were separated on individual platforms, surrounding by verdant walls of orange tiger lilies. On his 16th birthday, Sakura gifted him one of the largest apartments in the center. Up until then, he had shared one of the living quarters with his mother, which was no shabby residence. It was an immensely large gift, one that had surprised him until he confronted Sakura.

"Why?" he brazenly demanded, much to the horror and disapproval of his mother.

"For my best friend, nothing less than the best," Sakura had simply answered. Sasori had graciously accepted the gift then, feeling like a huge ass for questioning it in the first place.

Sasori walked into his apartment, tossing his sword onto the nearest divan as he passed.

"A letter from the rookery, My Lord," one of the servants reported as Sasori walked past. Sasori paused his steps to accept the envelope. He flipped it over to find a red wax seal stamped with familiar insignia. It was a rose: the symbol of the Haruno family.

_Dear Sasori,_

_The market in Talast seems a sad affair compared to what we have at home. Prince Sasuke graciously showed me around. He is one of the few people I've encountered here that doesn't make me want to throw myself out the nearest window, though I realize this is a common feeling I have no matter where I go. As payment for the earrings you sent me, I've enclosed a small token for you and Lady Kurenai. _

Sasori clucked his tongue. It was just like Sakura to try to repay a gift. He peered into the envelope and pulled out a tiny organza bag. Smooth grey stones knocked together inside. Through the sheer fabric, Sasori could see that there were intricate paintings in black ink on the surface of each stone. The attention to detail made Sasori question just how expensive these small stones could be. But he knew there was no sense in refusing them for being too valuable. Sakura didn't like to take no for an answer. He turned his attention back to the letter, a smile curving his lips.

_Prince Sasuke has become a trusted friend of mine. Though I did plan to simply charm the court here for my own use, I find that he reminds me much of you._

Sasori's smile abruptly dropped.

_However, I will remind you that you are my most trusted confidante and beloved friend. I do this so that you won't become jealous and barge into a landlocked city with the Royal Fleet. _

He let out a sigh, already feeling foolish for his short swell of jealousy in his chest. His mother was right. They knew each other too well.

_The summer festival will take place in three weeks' time. The first day of the festivities will take place on the 21__st__ of the sixth month with a grand parade. It's said to span for an entire week. I'm not sure what sort of street performers to expect, but I've been assured that it's the most fun to be had in Talast all year long. _

_To be honest, I miss home, Sasori._

Sasori nearly dropped the letter at that. It was unexpected to see such honesty from her.

_King Fugaku has invited me to stay for the whole summer season but I'm tempted to come home much sooner. Tell your mother that I'm sorry for missing her birthday this year. I've arranged for her gift to arrive soon, though, so be a dear and keep it a secret for me. _

_Sakura_

"You there," Sasori called out without tearing his eyes from the paper. He stared at the looping script of Sakura's words. The hurried tap of a servant's footsteps answered.

"Yes, My Lord?"

"Go find out how soon I can arrange passage to Talast," he commanded.

"Is there an urgent matter, My Lord?"

A smirk curled Sasori's lips.

"In a way," he responded.

* * *

"A fine damask on silk, My Lady. We call this shade cornflower."

Sakura looked over the rim of her teacup. The merchant held out the light blue fabric to her to examine but Sasuke snorted inelegantly.

"I don't understand why I'm here. Shouldn't one of your fluttering female friends be helping you with this?" he complained from the armchair beside her. To accentuate his point, he picked up a lacy white fan trimmed with white feathers on the edges. He flicked it open and used it to blow air into Sakura's face until she snatched it out of his hand. This particular merchant was famous in Talast for carrying some of the only clothes from the Southern Tea Isle. The silkworms used on the island were found nowhere else and so the high quality of the fabric could not be recreated anywhere else.

"Because I value your opinion, you incorrigible person," she snapped. And to punctuate her words, she brought the fan down on his knee before tossing it aside. Sasuke raised his eyebrows but he behaved himself from then on. The two of them turned back to the dress.

"I don't like that color. Don't you have anything more… robust?" Sasuke commented as the merchant presented another dress in a shade of delicate yellow. Sakura's eyes widened. She nearly choked on her tea as she struggled not to laugh. The merchant, however, turned bright pink as he fumbled through his large trunk of wares. He began throwing dresses out as he dug for the right color. The garments swished through the air in whispers of silk and linens.

"…Robust?" Sakura repeated with an incredulous smile. It was Sasuke's turn to blush slightly. Loudly clearing his throat, he shifted in his seat. He made a big show of uncrossing and crossing his legs as he fumbled for words.

"I thought you wanted my opinion. I think you'll look good in darker colors," he grumbled without meeting her eyes. A smile stretched Sakura's mouth as she turned back to the merchant. Chest heaving, he held up a gown for her to inspect. Sakura's gaze sharpened as it trailed over the neckline and waist before it flickered down to the skirt.

"Are there shoes as well?" she inquired. Hope glowed in the merchant's face as he presented several pairs. Sakura glanced them over before she pointed to one. Before she could reach into her coin purse, Sasuke tossed his own money at the merchant. The clink of coins inside the bag made the man bow profusely.

"You're not going to try anything on?" questioned Sasuke as they watched the merchant begin to pack up.

"Why bother? I'm sure he's gotten my measurements from his connections. How else would he dare to presume to present his wares to nobility? And plus, if I find his clothing unsatisfactory, rumors would spread, his reputation would suffer, and his business would fail," Sakura calmly replied. The merchant froze. But when he looked up at Sakura, she simply smiled.

"But I'm sure that won't happen," she added. The merchant nodded furiously.

"And why a dress? You hate being called a princess so much that you insist upon being 'General' wherever you go," Sasuke continued.

"Also a valid question. However, you must remember that during my time here, I am serving as a diplomat for my country. Whatever I prefer, I am first and foremost representing my people as their princess," she responded. Then, after some thought, she scowled at Sasuke.

"Besides, I _am_ a princess. I can be both," Sakura insisted.

"Whatever you say, _My Lady_," scoffed Sasuke in return.

"Ow!" he complained when Sakura picked up the fan and smacked his leg with it again.

Over the next couple weeks, the palace was bustling with activity. Whether it was servants draping bunting over windows or burly men hauling in casks of wine, there seemed to always be people flitting in and out of the doors.

Sasuke had been put in charge of overseeing the decorating in Talast so Sakura saw little of him during this time. He apologized over lunch one day.

"I'm being a rather negligent host, I think," he confessed with a grave expression. Sakura stabbed her fork into her egg. The yolk burst. Trickles of deep yellow flooded her plate. Sakura mopped it up with her toast. Lifting her glass, she held it up to the sunlight. She watched the light slant through the clear sides, sending white shapes spilling across the wooden tabletop.

"You… severely overestimate your impact in my life," she teased as she set the glass down. The look of shock on Sasuke's face elicited a laugh from her. Realizing that she was making fun of him, Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"And I suppose your time alone has been spent singing to wildlife and frolicking through meadows," he jibed back.

"I've been managing," responded Sakura with an air of mystery. When she saw the question shining in Sasuke's gaze, she replied with an innocent shrug before changing the topic.

The truth was that on one of the first days on her own, Sakura had spent some time exploring the floors until she realized that sitting on the grand staircase in the central wing provided the perfect view of the events in the foyer. Without much else to do, Sakura spent a good portion of the morning simply watching the people, wondering about their lives and their relationships as they rushed past. Sakura only realized that she was not alone when a crumpled ball of paper landed in her lap. She unfolded the paper. The jagged edges down one side told her that it had been torn from a book.

_Lost again?_

Sakura tilted her head back to look up. Up on the third floor landing was a familiar face. Itachi leaned over the railing, a book held casually against his right shoulder. When she held up the paper, he raised his left hand in a little wave.

"Looking for security flaws, General?" inquired Itachi as she climbed the stairs up to the third floor to join him. She leaned against the railing too, forearms resting against the wooden banister as she looked at the people below. They watched several servant girls run in with baskets of clean laundry. They squealed with laughter. It had just begun to drizzle outside and they had just rescued the hanging linens from being drenched in the rain. The clatter of their polished shoes on the stone floor echoed with their giggling comments.

"Would you believe me if I said yes?" asked Sakura.

"Of course not," Itachi promptly answered, "But I would humor you nonetheless. You are our honored guest, after all." Sakura cast him a measuring look.

"So is Prince Naruto," she reminded him. Itachi opened his book again. He laid it flat against the bannister and began flipping carelessly through the pages. Charts and drawings blurred past. Sakura wasn't certain but it looked like a scientific text.

"This is true. But I have yet to acquaint myself with young Prince Naruto. You, on the other hand, I am already acquainted with. Familiarity is king, General," replied Itachi.

"Young?" Sakura repeated back to him. She was certain that Itachi was no more than a few years older than her. He shut his book. Long fingers stroked down the length of the spine, tracing over the golden lettering.

"Ah, my apologies. If I remember correctly, you were both born in the same year. I'm very sorry. It's just that he seems like so much of a child compared to you," explained Itachi.

Sakura swallowed quickly. She was well aware of this fact. But, determined to keep the mood light, she laughed the comment off.

"Prince Naruto leads a much more carefree life. I think all my worrying ages me," she responded with a tinge of humor. Itachi's expression did not lighten, however. He glanced over at her. His eyes were deep brown, sort of like the color of dark chocolate. The eyelashes framing them were long and thick.

"Those that worry die young, General," he stated. It wasn't a threat. A less intelligent person would have taken it as an insult.

"Better to die young and full of wisdom than to die an old fool," she countered.

The rest of the conversation was significantly lighter. They commented together on the comings and goings of people below. Sakura asked about his book and Itachi explained that he was determined to read through every single text in the library.

"Books allow one to live a thousand lives and travel a thousand times. Since my health does not permit much wandering, I must supplement myself," Itachi said.

"If it's any comfort, travel can only educate those smart enough to learn," responded Sakura. A smile brightened Itachi's normally neutral expression.

"Well-said, General," he acknowledged.

They didn't promise to meet up again the next day but they did anyway. Sakura smuggled up pear tarts from the kitchen and they stood there brushing buttery crumbs from their fingers as they chatted. Despite his physical health (or lack thereof), Itachi was a deep well of knowledge, most likely owing to his penchant for reading. They mused over philosophy and law while laborers bellow grunted and strained to carry in heavy sacks of flour.

Lunch every day was consumed with Naruto. Sakura could only manage to come up with so many reasons to evade eating with him before she began to sound childish. She didn't have much to say to him. Their meals were seldom awkward, however, because Naruto seemed to make up for her silence by speaking nonstop until she began to honestly wonder how he found time to breathe.

"You seem to hate Prince Naruto. Why put up with him? Why not tell him that you despise him and get him off your tail?" suggested Sasuke one night as they walked in the gardens. Every few feet along the path were lanterns hanging from skinny wooden posts. Lines of ivy crawled up them, like they were hungrily pursuing the light. Fireflies buzzed lazily around them. The chirp of crickets answered him for a while as Sakura gathered her words.

"Believe it or not, my friend, I don't actually hate him," Sakura admitted while staring down at her feet. She heard Sasuke stumble in the dark.

"What?" he demanded. His surprise robbed him of the usual measured propriety in his words. Sakura didn't say anything. She left Sasuke to brew in his own thoughts for a while before he spoke again.

"Well, I suppose I'm in no position to comment on your familial relationships considering my own circumstances," Sasuke sighed. He put his hands in the pockets of his trousers and they stopped on the path to stare up at the sweeping white path of stars in the sky above.

"Families are difficult," Sasuke finally declared after much thought.

"Agreed," Sakura mused.

She stood very still, waiting for one of the fireflies to draw closer. Holding her breath, she reached out and cupped her hands around one of the insects. There was a long moment before the faint green glow leaked out between her cupped palms.

"When I was a little girl, we would catch a dozen of these and put them in glass bottles. I used to call them starbugs," she suddenly recalled. Sasuke chuckled.

"That's adorable."

Sakura suddenly opened her hands and let them fall to her sides. The baffled insect seemed not to understand its freedom for a few extra seconds before it flew off. Sasuke stood with his back to the lantern, hands in his back pockets. His left foot scuffed at the ground once.

"Did you call them starbugs because they looked like stars?" he suddenly inquired. A little startled by the question, Sakura took a moment to process. Then she shook her head.

"I thought that they **were** stars that fell and became trapped here," she admitted. There was a solemnity that settled between them as they fell silent again. After a while, they headed back inside, Sasuke slapping at his mosquito bites, and Sakura casting one last glance up at the star-filled sky.

* * *

Thank you, as always, for reading.

Feel free to ask any questions/expression opinions/make speculations in reviews or on my tumblr linked in my profile.


	3. Crown

Amaryllis

Chapter 3: Crown

_Because tiaras are overrated._

Sakura woke the morning of the summer solstice to the smells of baking bread. Startled by the sweet fragrance, she bolted upright. The cool kiss of the summer morning touched her bare feet and cheeks. Turning her head toward the source of the breeze, she realized that she had fallen asleep with the window open. Goosebumps rose on her arms as another cool burst of air intruded. She reached out until she could feel the cord hanging beside her head and gave it a couple tugs. She had been told by Haku that the cord was connected to a vast network of other cords in the walls of the castle. If she pulled it, it set off a trigger of other things that rang a bell in the servants' quarters.

It only took a few minutes for Moegi and Haku to come up with her breakfast on a large silver tray. The smell of steamed sausage made her cringe. It had been weeks of nothing but pork and beef and she was starting to crave anything else.

"Good morning, General. You're up a little later than usual," Moegi chirruped sweetly as she set the tray down on the foot of the bed. Haku moved around to open up the curtains all the way and shut the window. Sakura simply nodded while raking her hands through her hair.

"Will you be going for your usual ride?" Haku questioned as he poured her a cup of tea and handed it to her. Sakura nodded again as she pushed the covers off her legs. Not even looking at what she was eating, she scooped some into her mouth before climbing off the bed. She swallowed down more tea before hopping into her riding breeches. Moegi handed her a blouse while Haku held out cufflinks, waiting for Sakura to dress herself. Cracking a smile, Sakura glanced quickly at Haku. With his starched dress and apron and long hair, it was impossible to tell that he was actually a boy.

"You're not at all shy to watch a lady dress? I may be a military woman, Haku, but I'm still a woman," Sakura teased. Pink tinged Haku's cheeks as he quickly averted his gaze. Moegi tittered behind her hand. Slipping on a dark blue jacket, Sakura turned to pat the top of Haku's head.

"Relax. I'm only teasing you," she assured him. Only when Haku nodded did she remove her hand. Sakura buttoned her jacket and then pulled on her high boots. They had already been cleaned and polished the night before. The odor of the shoe polish lingered on the supple leather. Haku handed over her black riding helmet.

"I'll be back in a couple hours," Sakura told them as she headed for the door.

"General, please don't forget that the opening ceremonies for the festival begin at 11. Please don't be late," Moegi called after her. There was a brief pause as Sakura drew in a steadying breath. Then, hand on the doorframe, she turned her head to offer the maids a smile.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world. Have my tea ready for when I get back," answered Sakura.

She went galloping off into the forests by herself. Kaze seemed to sense her wild mood and obliged by bolting into thick patches of trees and proudly tossing his head. Sakura laughed with her mouth opened wide to taste the clean air. But she was punctual and returned before it was too late to wash and dress for the opening speech that the King would give in Talast's main square. She was in her starched white uniform, legs shoulder-width apart and arms crossed behind her back.

"I am going to be honest with you. I have never seen such well-polished boots before," Sasuke whispered as they listened to the long speech about hopes for another plentiful harvest.

"I doubt my shiny shoes mean anything compared to your shiny crown on your head," replied Sakura without moving her lips. The gleaming silver circlet on Sasuke's hair marked him as an esteemed member of the noble family. The sides were etched with looping patterns of dragons and wind, Sakura later noted when Sasuke handed it over for her to see. It was very different from the golden diadems of her own country with large jewels.

They chuckled under their breaths to end the banter before their conversation drew the scolding stares of others.

Lunch was held back at the palace during a garden party. Sakura nearly cried out with joy when she saw fish being brought out along with legs of lamb and greasy cuts of pork. They ate heartily, accompanied by good wine. The rest of the afternoon was spent in lazy conversation while guests began to arrive for the ball being held later that night. Some of the children ran around the lawn playing games while their parents indulged in one too many glasses of wine. Sakura and Sasuke amused themselves watching Naruto being grilled by nosy single women about his romantic life. But then it was time to get ready for the ball and so Sakura went up to her room.

"Wow. That is…" Moegi said when she walked into the bedroom and spotted the dress hanging in the armoire. She trailed off, at a loss for words until Haku joined her.

"It's quite red, General," Haku concluded, clearly trying not to smile.

"Well, the Uchiha family has insisted upon buying me a dress for the first night. And Prince Sasuke asked for a 'more robust' color," sighed Sakura. Shifting her weight to her left leg, Sakura crossed her arms over her chest. When she cocked her head to one side, Moegi and Haku copied her.

"Do I need to wear a corset with this?" she wondered out loud. Moegi grimaced as she squeezed her waist with her hands. Haku smiled.

"A better question would be whether you care that it requires a corset, General," Haku corrected her. Sakura raised an eyebrow before she turned to clap the maid on the shoulder.

"Very well said, Haku," laughed Sakura in response.

In the end, Sakura turned down the corset.

"I've seen men die on the battlefield from having their innards crushed. I don't see how this is much different," declared Sakura, dangling the contraption from her pinky. Laughing until she turned pink, Moegi sent Haku to dispose of the offending item as she helped Sakura dress. The red silk was tight across her chest and down to the sleeves that reached all the way to her third knuckles. The fabric draped across her hips, hanging loosely down to the ground. The pointed red shoes decorated with glittering stones were the same shade of blood under the skirt.

Long hair piled on top of her head, Sakura patiently waited for Moegi to place each pin in precisely the right place. A simple pair of diamond earrings completed the look and Haku declared her an absolute vision while Moegi made her turn around for inspection.

Sasuke was leaning on the wall beside the door by the time Sakura emerged ready.

He choked on whatever words he had prepared beforehand. But when he finally managed to close his mouth, Sasuke silently offered his arm to her.

"Say something. You're making me feel awkward," Sakura said after they had gone on in silence for a good minute. When Sasuke glanced her way, there was something mischievous glowing in his gaze.

"You know, you almost look like a woman like this," he commented with such a genuine smile that Sakura almost didn't process the insult. She punched him in the arm. But it broke the tension and they resumed their usual easy talk until they reached the ballroom in the central wing. Their names were announced as the double doors opened up. Heads turned toward them. But rather than feeling admired, Sakura had the sense that those stares were somewhat predatory. As soon as a server passed with a tray, Sasuke grabbed two glasses of some alcoholic beverage for them. He immediately began gulping his down while Sakura looked on with amusement.

"Trust me. This is the only way to get through the night. Grin and bear it, my friend," he whispered as he took her drink and finished that too. Trying her best not to laugh, Sakura simply nodded. Just to appear occupied, she grabbed a drink of her own once another server passed. Swirling the liquid around, she let Sasuke move her around, barely paying attention to the people she was being introduced to.

But her eyes were sharp when Naruto entered the room. After greeting the King and Queen, Naruto crossed the big room to say hello to her. She was determinedly frosty as she always was. And yet, her stare followed him as he walked off. Her eyes were darting around, checking chandeliers and watching for shifty expressions in the crowd. Once she was satisfied that nothing suspicious would happen, Sakura took a careful sip of her drink.

About an hour into the party, Sakura found herself nearly bored to tears. A quick look over at Sasuke confirmed that he was probably feeling the same way. But his polite smile stayed in place as one of his distant uncles blathered on about his eldest son's accomplishments. It was a dreary story involving sheep and libraries. Biting her lower lip, Sakura threw a casual glance around. Letting out a quiet sigh, Sakura handed her glass over to Sasuke. He fixed her with a bewildered look until she pointed toward the doors.

"I'll be off to," Sakura paused to glance around, "…powder my nose." Before Sasuke could stop her, Sakura slipped off through the crowd and out of the ballroom. The click of her high heels drew some stares but she quickly deflected attempts at conversation to make her escape. She managed to get to the nearest bathroom to wash her hands and take a moment to enjoy the silence. But she quickly gathered her thoughts and steeled herself to dive back into the fray. On her way back to the party, she spotted a door left ajar. It was painted white with the same blue and blue borders to match the other wall panels. If it hadn't been opened, it would be impossible to see that it was anything but another section of boring wall.

Casting a furtive look around and finding the corridor empty, she slipped past the door and closed it behind her. She found herself in a narrow passage with glass lanterns lighting up the walls. A little ways down, the hall became a set of stairs that turned sharply to the left as she climbed. She tried her best to mentally map where she was in relation to the ballroom but she struggled to calculate how thick the walls of the palace were. In the end, she gave up trying to understand and moved forward for curiosity's sake.

The stairs eventually ended and Sakura saw nothing but flat wall ahead of her. But by now she understood that this palace often tricked people by pretending to be ordinary. She ran her fingers down the sanded surface and around the edges until there was a little click and it swung outward.

Stepping light on the balls of her feet, Sakura snuck around. She tried to get a bearing of her surroundings. The marble floors and deep red walls were identical to the ballroom but this couldn't be on the same level. The stairs had definitely taken her up. And as she focused, Sakura realized that she could hear the music and chatter from the ball nearby. As Sakura moved on ahead, she spotted a person standing alone. She advanced a few more steps and realized that she was on one of the balconies overlooking the festivities. She had noticed the balconies earlier in the night but hadn't paid much attention.

"Pardon me," Sakura called out, not wanting to be rude. The figure started. When he whirled around to face her, Sakura also gave a small gasp.

"Oh," she said.

"Oh," said Itachi at the same time. His hand was on his chest, as if stopping his heart from leaping right out from fright. His shoulders relaxed a little when he realized who it was lurking around.

"You seem to have a talent for ferreting out my hiding spots, General," Itachi greeted her first as he dipped his head. Sakura bowed too as she smiled.

"And you seem to have a talent for having the best hiding spots, Prince," she responded. She crossed the floor to join him. Leaning against the thick stone banister, she peered down at the people chatting and mingling. She could see Sasuke trapped by a pillar. Every so often, his eyes flickered in the direction of the door, as if waiting for her to burst back in to rescue him.

"You're wearing a dress," Itachi blankly stated. Sakura suppressed a laugh.

"Silver tongue, I see," she replied. A chagrined smile curled Itachi's mouth as they watched the dancers spin by below.

"…It's a very nice dress," he added after a long moment. Sakura stole a glance at him. She didn't need anyone to tell her that. She already knew from the lustful stares that other men had been giving her in passing. Now that she was suddenly not wearing an intimidating military uniform, they seemed to realize that she had curves like any other woman.

Men were so simpleminded, Sakura thought with exasperation.

"I don't think I've ever seen you not wearing pants before, General," added Itachi as an idle thought.

"Well, unless you stare through my window at night, I don't see why that wouldn't be true," she told him with a cheeky note to her voice.

"And without your sword."

That startled Sakura. She hadn't expected anything like that from this particular prince. Sakura was quiet for a long time until she felt him look at her. Pressing a silencing finger to her mouth, she slowly hiked up the left side of her dress. Itachi's face erupted in scarlet as soon as he glimpsed her ankle. But she pulled the silky fabric higher and higher until she revealed a black band across her thigh. Still blushing furiously, Itachi narrowed his eyes. In one swift motion, Sakura yanked a small blade from its concealing strap.

"This is so much more ladylike, don't you think?" she said as she flipped the knife once and caught it. Itachi stared as she fit the blade back into place. When her skirt fell back down, it left no sign of the pointed weapon hidden underneath. Blush fading, Itachi examined her again, this time with unconcealed curiosity brightening his gaze.

"Still on duty even at a party? The dance today is being held in your honor," Itachi reminded her. Sakura smirked.

"A soldier is a soldier, even in a dress," she told him with a shrug.

"But a woman is a woman, even in a uniform," he countered.

"Unless you're asking me to dance, Prince, I'm afraid I cannot do much with your reproach," laughed Sakura. There was warmth in Itachi's expression as he chuckled along with her.

Still, she lingered there, talking to Itachi and learning about some of the Uchiha noblemen and women prancing about below. Their gowns in tones of deep blues and greens flowed beautifully around them as they danced.

"This may be a bit forward of me, but I have to ask. What ails you, Prince? It's not common knowledge around here, it seems," queried Sakura. A wry smile curled Itachi's lips.

"I would prefer to keep it that way," he initially responded. But then he glanced over at Sakura.

"I have a lung condition. My physician does not know what to call it but a weakness of the lungs. Any significant amount of activity or stress is enough to set off an attack. The last person in our family who had the same condition died when he was 10," admitted Itachi in a low voice. He peered at her through dark eyelashes.

It grew solemn between them for a moment. Then Sakura opened her mouth.

"I'm very sorry to hear that," she simply said.

"Thank you," he replied. But then his gaze softened.

"Though, I feel I should extend my condolences to you as well," added Itachi. Sakura's forehead wrinkled.

"You don't seem to be much of a fan of parties," he clarified. A startled laugh rose from her throat.

"I didn't realize I was so transparent. However, you're wrong. I very much enjoy parties. I'm just not enjoying this particular kind of party," she admitted without saying much else.

Sakura couldn't stay for long. She knew that his relatives for could only distract Sasuke so long. And she also felt some guilt leaving him to endure the boredom by himself. So after a while, she (somewhat reluctantly) admitted, "I should get back. Your poor brother is probably looking for me." Feigning nonchalance, she carefully examined Itachi's expression as she spoke. During her time in the palace, she discovered that neither of the brothers ever brought each other up. And no one in the palace ever mentioned the older brother, as if he didn't exist at all. The only clue to his existence was the large family portrait hanging on the second floor in the eastern wing. There was Itachi, sitting in an armchair while the rest of his family stood.

Sasuke always walked past that picture like it wasn't even there.

But Itachi's face was soft as he looked back down on the ballroom again.

"…Thank you," he uttered as he turned toward her. Sakura felt her face grow warm at the simple statement.

"I'm sorry. I don't understand why I'm being thanked," Sakura slowly admitted.

Itachi closed his eyes. His face was narrow and there was something frail about the shape of his cheekbones as he drew in a soft breath. The dark fan of his eyelashes against his pale skin was suddenly impossible to look away from. And when he opened his eyes again, Sakura was caught directly in his gaze.

"Thank you for taking care of my brother."

Sakura gave some sort of polite response and walked away. But as soon as she rounded the corner, she felt her face explode in a fierce blush that warmed all the way down to her chest and up to her ears. She needed a minute to compose herself. Slipping out onto the nearest balcony, she willed the cool mountain air to erase the red from her face.

"That man," she whispered, gripping the doorframe so hard that her knuckles turned white. She sucked in a deep breath.

"That man is dangerous for my heart," she declared in a fierce hiss.

When she returned to the ball, Sasuke's gaze immediately snapped to her. He ducked out of the flock of women chirping around him to practically seize her arm. Drawing her in close, he spoke through clenched teeth.

"You threw me to the harpies," he accused her with equal amounts of relief and anger. Sakura shrugged.

"If you didn't get your eyes pecked out, you're fine," she assured him before they moved to the dance floor to escape the women advancing on them.

By midnight, many of the guests had begun to retire for the night. And Sakura, trying her best not to wobble, readily agreed when Sasuke suggested that they make a quick escape as well. Though he offered to escort her back to her apartment, Sakura waved him off and wished him a good night. Sakura made it all the way to the west wing and up to the second floor before Moegi caught up to her. No doubt she had heard that the party was winding down and had come to find her.

"General!" Moegi called out as she hurried to meet her. Giving a strained smile, Sakura waved her over.

"Would you help me? I'd forgotten how painful women's shoes could be," grumbled Sakura. Tittering, Moegi gladly offered her assistance.

"Did you enjoy yourself, General?" Haku greeted her as he held the door of the apartment open for her. Gripping Moegi's arm for support, Sakura made her way to the blue armchair in the foyer normally set out for guests. Haku knelt, carefully easing the pointed shoes off of Sakura's swollen feet.

"High heels must be the invention of careless and cruel men," declared Sakura.

Moegi reappeared in the room, a basin filled with warm water from the tub. She placed it on the floor before she and Haku each took a foot to lower it in to soak. A profound sigh of relief left Sakura's mouth as she let her head loll back.

"Worry not, General. A good massage and then we'll wrap them up with some herbals balms. You'll be up and running in the morning," Moegi cheerfully assured her.

The festivities continued throughout an entire week. Days were spent wandering the streets and visiting the traders' stalls. Performers filled the square with music and dance. The lawns of the palace hosted garden parties with new bards and performance troops each day. At night, the palace held a huge party with a different theme each night.

"The first night is just the opening ceremony. Yesterday was the day of diamonds. Tonight's theme is black and white. Tomorrow is a masquerade. Father is giving the nobles a chance to strut and mingle so that they won't be much of a bother for the rest of the year," sighed Sasuke over brunch. He motioned for more tea to nurse the lingering effects of too much wine the night before. Sakura smiled around her forkful of food. She was silent as she finished chewing.

"A wise move, I think," she then commented.

"Pardon me, Your Highness," a servant girl quietly interrupted as she set a fresh pot of tea on the table next to Sasuke's hand. Sasuke gestured for the girl to speak. But instead she moved around the table to hand a rose to Sakura.

"I was instructed to give you this, My Lady," she said. Sakura accepted the flower to examine it carefully. It was a different color from those found in the Queen's garden here. Her roses were crimson and carefully pruned so that the thorns would not harm the handmaidens who plucked them each morning to decorate the throne room. But this bloom was deep red with sharp prickles scattered up the stem. There was a strangely sweet fragrance seeping from its petals.

And if all of this wasn't enough of a clue, the blue ribbon tied around the stem stood out so blatantly that she almost laughed. She held out the rose to Sasuke and he hesitated before sniffing at it.

"….Am I supposed to smell something?" he questioned.

"It's moon tea," she told him.

Moon tea leaves were grown only on the Southern Tea Isle. It was made from a plant that only bloomed in the moonlight and so it could only be harvested during specific times of the month. Its sopophoric qualities made it a highly sought-after commodity. A small dosage was sufficient to dull pain and calm nerves. A larger dose would quickly induce a deep sleep. Too much of the moon tea would cause someone to slip into permanent sleep and later death. Poppies, in a way, had very similar effects. But moon tea was much stronger and faster.

Moon tea had a sweet smell, almost like a perfume. Its nectar was also very valuable but highly poisonous to humans until it was processed by bees into honey. This was a well-known fact to islanders and foreigners alike.

Sakura pulled the red petals open to reveal a silvery-blue moonbud tucked into the center. Plucking the bud out, she crushed it between her teeth. Sasuke jolted out of his seat, knocking his teacup to the floor as he reached over to stop her. The porcelain shattered loudly. Grabbing hold of her forearm, he stared with wild eyes.

"What're you doing? Spit it out. It's poison," he whispered. Sakura locked her eyes with his as she ground the sweet petals between her molars. A smile curled her lips.

"Did you know that the nectar of moonblooms is highly toxic to humans?" she began. Sasuke looked at her like she had gone crazy. She didn't blame him.

"If I say yes, will you spit it out?" he retorted with a desperate laugh. But Sakura continued to chew calmly as if nothing was wrong. When she swallowed, she could see the hope dimming from Sasuke's eyes. He gaped at her.

"But, if it's ingested together with the petals, it becomes a tasty snack," she easily concluded, wiping at her mouth with her napkin. Sasuke's grip slackened just as servants ran in to see what the noise was about.

"How's that possible? I've seen men three times your size die from just a taste of it," Sasuke demanded.

"It's actually an island delicacy. There's something in the petals that neutralizes the toxin in the nectar. This is how wild animals eat the flowers without hurting themselves," explained Sakura with a shrug. Sasuke's hand slid off and landed limply on the tabletop. He barely glanced over as the servants knelt to begin cleaning up the bits of the ruined cup.

"Did you do all this just to take ten years off my life?" Sasuke queried with a glare now. Sakura took a sip of tea.

"Yes and no. About a quarter of it was to tell you this secret and half of it was to tease you. Cheer up, my friend, you'll only have lost five years rather than ten. And who knows, maybe I saved your life sometime in the future," she responded in a light tone. Sasuke let out a long sigh of exasperation as he slumped down in his seat. Propping his head up in his right hand, he shook his head. Then he peered at her through his fingers.

"What's the other quarter?" inquired Sasuke.

"The other quarter that you probably forgot in that shock I just gave you was the fact that someone sent this to me. Now, who would think to hide a moonbloom inside of a rose and then give it to me?" she patiently spelled out for him. His eyes narrowed. Lowering his hand, he looked across the table at her.

"The sigil of your family is a red rose…" he said. Sakura waited for the rest of the thoughts to process in his head. Sasuke muttered to himself as he considered other facts. His eyes fixed on the rose and then flickered back up to her face. Sakura folded her hands in front of her without saying anything.

"And you just said that only natives of the Southern Tea Isle are aware of its hidden properties. So it would be someone from your family?" Sasuke slowly concluded. The smile she gave him was a filled with equal parts pride and equal parts patronization.

"Precisely. Which is why you should be asking two questions now," she answered. She held up one finger.

"First, who?"

She raised another finger.

"Second, why?"

Sasuke plopped back down in his seat without looking away from her. He ran a hand through his dark hair.

"Are you asking me questions that you already know the answers to?" he questioned in return. Sakura smiled.

"Yes. I know the who but I will only tell you the why. This is a flirtation," she admitted.

"A flirtation," Sasuke slowly repeated.

"You will find out tonight, my friend," she only said before she continued eating her breakfast.

That evening, when Sakura returned to her room, she found Moegi and Haku crowded around something laid out on her bed. Shedding her jacket, she waited for one of them to take it to hang in the armoire. Haku moved first, dark eyes lingering with suspicion on the thing on the bed.

"You have a gift, General. We're not certain whom from. This was left along with it," Moegi reported as she pulled another rose with a blue ribbon out of the pocket of her apron. Shaking her head, Sakura accepted the flower, plucked the moonbloom from the center, and popped the entire thing into her mouth. Chewing, she moved to see the source of all the excitement. Her eyebrow rose as she stared at the garment on the bed. Beside it was the white dress she had received as a gift from some of the lesser Uchiha nobles trying to buy her favor. Haku looked between the clothing, clearly unimpressed. Moegi, however, let out a dreamy sigh.

"Is this Eastern silk? I've never seen anything of this quality before, General," Moegi breathed.

"And this shape will suit you very well, General. If I may be so bold as to recommend, this new dress seems to be the better choice," Haku solemnly stated, gesturing to the newer dress. A smile pulled at Sakura's lips.

"You are quite bold, Haku. But you are correct. Were there jewels sent with this?" said Sakura as she began unbuttoning the cuffs of her shirt. Moegi hurried to present a red chest to her. Haku pulled back the lid to reveal an assortment of shining ornaments. Sakura's gaze lingered over the longest string of pearls.

"Now he's just showing off," she scoffed.

By the time Sakura was dressed, guests had already begun to arrive. There was a knock on her door and Moegi was sent out. When the red-haired girl returned, Haku looked up from carefully placing the jeweled headpiece on Sakura's hair without disturbing it.

"It's Prince Sasuke, General," Moegi reported with excitement. Sakura brushed Haku's hands aside to nudge the last few jewels in place before she motioned for them to open the doors.

Sasuke stared at her for a long moment before his usual smirk returned.

"This doesn't look like the style of the Forest Kingdom," he remarked, offering his arm to her. Sakura smiled as she took his arm. The gold bangles on her arms clinked together with the movement.

"Try a little farther east," she returned with a laugh. Sasuke's eyebrows rose.

"Is this a piece from home?" questioned Sasuke.

"Clever man," said Sakura in return.

As it was the third night, by now, Sakura had already grown used to the rituals of greeting the highest nobles before being pulled into idle chitchat. But this time, when she and Sasuke approached the thrones to bow to the King and Queen, Sakura could tell that she was raising some eyebrows.

"That dress is lovely on you, my dear," Queen Mikoto remarked. Though the kindness in her voice made it warm, it couldn't mask the note of surprise mixing in with those words. Hers were the only exposed shoulders in the room. Though there was no rule against showing shoulders here, it wasn't commonly done. But feigning ignorance, Sakura curtsied again. Sasuke quickly excused the two of them and pulled her off to a corner to speak with Shisui.

Shisui, Sakura had quickly learned, was one of the few tolerable Uchiha's in court. Sasuke seemed to hold him in high regard so Sakura had little choice but to be polite. This was helped by the fact that Shisui, as lord of a vast iron mining empire, had little thought for the opulence and petty gossip of court. He was much more interested in asking Sakura about the decorative armor fitted around her middle.

"This is brass work. Very expensive in your part of the world," remarked Shisui with a keen eye. Sakura dipped her head.

"We have all our brass imported. Our trade is in softer materials," she acknowledged.

But that polite conversation soon ended and Shisui was off to mingle with others. During that lull in conversations, Sakura took a glass of wine. She stood staring down into in, struggling to decide whether to drink the whole thing or not. Sasuke stood at her side, staring with a look of vague disgust as Naruto stood cramming pastries into his mouth.

"I can't believe you're related," whispered Sasuke with clear horror in his tone. Sakura sighed.

"Neither can I," she muttered in response.

"Hello, Darling. You're looking lovely."

Sasuke started when someone rudely cut in between them. But Sakura only rolled her eyes as she accepted the kiss on her cheek. The glass of wine in her hand was quickly taken and emptied before it was dropped on the tray of a passing server.

"Of course you're here. What excuse did you use this time?" she demanded with a hint of exasperation. The two moonblooms inside roses really was not the subtlest clue.

"Actually, my dear, I wrote to Her Majesty the Queen to thank her for her warm welcome of our beloved duchess and she immediately extended an invitation to this soiree," he countered. Sakura scoffed.

"And yes, you had your ships and horses prepared during this time so you could hurry here as soon as the letter was in your hand," Sakura added. His golden eyes met hers and they shared a silent moment of amusement before he nodded. Shaking her head at his antics, Sakura turned back to Sasuke.

"This is Admiral Sasori Haruno of the Forest Kingdom. He is also my cousin," sighed Sakura.

Sasori and Sasuke sized each other up for a grave moment. Sakura could see the silent judgments running through each of their heads. They were so quiet that Sakura began to worry that she would have to separate them. But then Sasuke extended his hand and Sasori shook it.

"Thank you for taking care of my cousin, Prince Sasuke. I feel comforted to know that she is in such fine company," Sasori said.

"And it's an honor to meet you, Admiral. I've heard many good things about your naval conquests. It seems that military prowess is a family trade," answered Sasuke with equal flattery.

Sakura rolled her eyes as she let out a loud sigh.

"Feeling neglected, I see. Shall we dance?" Sasori quickly said, already pulling her toward the dance floor. Sakura put her right hand in his left. His right hand settled on the small of her back before they smoothly transitioned into the correct steps of the dance. It was an airy waltz. Sasori spun them around, his eyes dancing with laughter as he stared down at her.

"He doesn't fancy you, you know," Sasori started off the conversation.

"I'd hope not. I don't fancy him either," she responded in a light voice.

"Are you going to marry him?"

A smile brightened Sakura's face.

"I can't marry a crown prince. You think I'd want to be shipped off to some foreign land like a bargaining chip?" she scoffed. It was Sasori's turn to laugh.

"Then keep him in _your_ pocket, Cousin. He can become your bargaining chip, I'd imagine," Sasori declared.

Sakura could feel the stares on them as they twirled around. The luxurious silk of her dress was a welcome change from the heavier materials of the dresses available here. It was white and flowed around her like billowing ocean waves. Underneath, she wore soft leather sandals that didn't pinch her toes. The bodice of the dress was large and flowing, held in place by a thick brass belt engraved with roses. The long, sheer sleeves of the dress sloped off her shoulders, revealing the toned muscles in her back and shoulders. Delicate strands of gold and pearls were draped across her shoulders until they trailed down her back to connect to the belt.

"I chose your dress, by the way. Mother said it was far too revealing," remarked Sasori in her ear.

"She's right. But I forgive you because it doesn't pinch like the one I wore last night," she answered.

"I heard you wore red. You do our family proud, Cousin," he said. Without much warning, he twirled her around before reeling her back in. She landed with a thump against his chest, scowling. But they quickly fell into the rhythm again, despite the fact that she dealt him a stomp on his toes for the stunt. Sasori didn't even flinch.

"By the way, why am I dressed up while you're in your uniform?" complained Sakura.

"A uniform _is_ formal attire, love," he laughed. But then he said after a moment of thought, "Besides, it's white. I don't own much white." The remark made Sakura scoff before she broke into a smile as well.

They chatted their way through two more songs. Though, chatting was a tremendously bland word to describe the amount of sarcasm and eye-rolling was exchanged between them. Sasori ridiculed the painted-on moles and ruffled collars of some of the men. He mocked their snooty accents and bragging attempts to impress their companions. This wasn't because court here was so different from the court in Leaves. There was absolutely no difference. And the fact that such pretention could transcend culture was so hilarious to Sasori that he seemed to find it necessary to mock every noble he saw under his breath until Sakura had to pretend to cough to mask her snort of mirth.

"You're monopolizing me for far too many dances. People will talk," Sakura stated as they transitioned into the next song.

"Let them talk. Little people worry themselves about little things," scoffed Sasori.

"Then what do big people worry about?" challenged Sakura. The smirk Sasori gave her was just condescending enough for her to scowl.

"Big people, my darling, worry about the little people. But the truly big people need only worry about the future," he assured her.

"Your arrogance is shocking, Cousin. It truly is," laughed Sakura as they spun. When the song finally ended, Sakura took Sasori's hand to pull them off the dance floor. Though her new shoes prevented her feet from hurting, they did not change the boredom that came from droning through too many dances in a row.

"Come. Introduce me to these mooching vultures. Maybe I'll find us a new circus act to bring home with us," Sasori said in her ear. Then, putting his hand on the small of her back, he led her further from the dance floor and into clusters of guests engrossed in conversation. But as Sakura walked, she felt that she was being watched. Her gaze scanned around the ballroom once before, out of a strange instinct, she looked up.

And on the same balcony she had escaped to the nights before, she saw a figure leaning against the stone railings. Their gazes locked and he lifted his latest book in greeting to her. Sakura nodded her head in a subtle bow. Sasori called her name and she allowed herself to be led away.

When the dance ended, Sakura said her usual farewells to Sasuke. She had worried that there would be some tension from Sasori's arrival. But the two men seemed to bond over their mutual frustration at silly courtly rituals and so the three of them managed to survive the ball together. While Sasuke headed back to his own quarters, Sasori came back to the apartment with Sakura where there was a letter waiting for her.

_Dear Lady Haruno,_

_I hope the summer season finds you well. We've had a few showers here and there but the weather has been agreeable for us. This year's harvest will most likely be bountiful. You have no doubt heard of our cousin's recent triumph over the pirates. As a result of those trade waters being freed up, the demand for silk has lowered somewhat. My father had already predicted this however, and so we are content to have profited tremendously in that short bubble before. The treasury continues to do well, though I am finding it difficult to lower taxes as you had requested last month. _

_However, the real reason I am writing to you is to express the gaping hole your absence has left in Plumeria this season. The children in the orphanage were disappointed to learn that you would be unable to visit them. Fortunately enough, our cousin has taken it upon himself to barge into court there, ostensibly to keep you company. I apologize as I should have attempted to stop him, but I confess that I would feel better sending you a friendly face. I will continue to watch over Plumeria until you return home safe and sound._

_-Gaara_

"Cheeky," Sasori scoffed as he read over her shoulder.

"Nosy," reprimanded Sakura in return.

"Oh please. He kisses every ring on your finger but we know where he really wants to ki-"

"Pig!" Sakura scolded while shoving his shoulder. At the same time, Haku clamped his hands over Moegi's ears in an effort to protect the girl from impurity. Eyes wide with horror, the maids looked on as Sakura pushed Sasori again. He shrugged unapologetically. In fact, the next time her hand rose to strike him, Sasori swept her up in his arms and dipped her until her head nearly touched the floor. Dangling helpless in his grasp, Sakura held on to her irritation for all of two seconds before she dissolved into laughter.

"By the way, I have a question for one of these lovely ladies," Sasori confessed as he righted Sakura. When Sakura nodded, Sasori walked over to grasp both of Haku's hands.

"My dear, I must ask what an exquisite creature such as yourself," began Sasori. Moegi let out a fluttering sigh while Haku's cheeks bloomed bright pink, "Is doing in women's clothing." Sasori's voice ended in a deadpan. Golden eyes bright with curiosity, Sasori looked down at Haku's fingers. He then began pinching Haku's face and examining Haku's long hair.

"You're quite delicate for a boy. What are you? 12? Is this a tradition here? Serving visiting nobles with cross-dressers?" conjectured Sasori, oblivious to the fact that the maid had turned quite white in the face. Only when Sakura patted his shoulder did Sasori cease his barrage of questions.

"He's known me for all of ten minutes, General. How…" Haku trailed off with a look of clear despair. Putting her elbow on Sasori's shoulder, Sakura drew in a deep breath. She and Sasori regarded each other, silently communicating with nods and raised eyebrows until Sakura shrugged.

"I'm not really sure. It must be in our blood," replied Sakura after some serious thought. She barely reacted when Sasori slipped out from under her arm, put his hands on her shoulders, and kissed her right temple.

"Well, I am exhausted. I'll be taking one of your guestrooms," Sasori declared before he was off toward the bathroom.

"I thought the King offered you your own apartment, Admiral!" Moegi called after her, bristling at the thought of a man staying in the same space as her lady.

"Oh, he did. I declined. I would have snuck in here regardless. It's better to leave room for someone who might actually need the space," Sasori yelled back as the bathroom door swung shut. Moegi let out a loud sigh.

"Fresh sheets prepared for my cousin, please. And Haku, don't let him bother you. He's one of the less eccentric members of my family," Sakura said as she put her hand on Haku's shoulder. Shaking his head, Haku let out an exasperated noise.

"Then, not to be rude, General, but I hope that the rest of them never come to visit you," croaked Haku.

* * *

When Admiral Haruno arrived at the White Palace, it became clear that Sakura's appearance was not unique.

Sakura had drawn attention from her first day in court. Her hair, coral pink, drew eyes wherever she was. And her eyes were light teal, clear and bright against the dark brown of Uchiha gazes. She held up her wrist against the paleness of Sasuke's arm and laughed all the time.

But the unusual coloring of her hair and eyes was clearly genetic.

Sasori had rust-colored hair and the warm tan of a man who had grown up on an island. The two of them stood out immensely whenever they were together. And though Prince Sasuke, by now, had a reputation for avoiding social interaction as it bored him, he was often seen with the cousins.

"Fun fact. Three men in our family have died from choking on grapes," Sasori remarked one afternoon. As he spoke, he tossed one of the purple fruits up in the air and caught it in his mouth. When Sasuke turned to Sakura, she sighed while giving a helpless sort of nod.

"They were brothers. Allergic to grapes, apparently," she elaborated. Sasori sat up. Sakura, seated next to him, rolled her eyes when he leaned over to whisper something in her ear. And Sasuke, sitting across from them, eyed them with interest.

"So, when is this dull tea party going to start? They said it would start at 2," Sakura said to Sasuke as she used a flapping hand to push Sasori away. A satisfied grin spread Sasori's mouth. He grabbed another handful of grapes from the bowl and began tossing them up in the air to consume.

"Well, the term 'fashionably late' is perhaps used too eagerly here. They should arrive soon," Sasuke assured her. And luckily, the entourage of noble ladies arrived a few minutes later. Sakura tried her best not to gawk at their voluminous, lacey garbs and ridiculously fancy hats. She nodded respectfully each time one introduced herself in an excited, trilling voice. Sasori, reclining back in his seat, had a look of extreme boredom as he too nodded. He quietly pointed out to Sakura that Sasuke was gritting his teeth, and they shared a quiet moment of amusement.

"So Prince Sasuke has told us that you two are cousins? How droll!" One of the young women fluttered while waving her fan under her chin. The look of absolute disgust that Sasori shot her was quickly concealed in a gulp of tea.

"I fail to see how familial ties are amusing, to be quite honest," Sakura responded in a flat voice. Sasori nearly choked on his tea while Sasuke struggled to mask his laugh with a dignified cough.

"Well," the woman tried again, completely unfazed by Sakura's prickly words, "you yourself are a general and a noble. And your cousin is a general and a noble. And then your relative on your other side is the King." Sasori's teacup dropped down with a sharp clatter.

"King _Regent_," stated Sasori. There was a cold moment of silence.

"Well… I simply meant that-" the young woman began as she tried to mend the awkward pause.

"Yes, please explain what you mean by calling him the king? Does the word regent escape you? Do I need to define it for you?" Sasori retorted in a low, caustic voice. He only stopped when Sakura ground her heel into his toes. The pain, thankfully, managed to pull him from his rant.

"Please excuse us. I believe my cousin needs some fresh air," said Sakura, already getting to her feet. Eyes avoiding her, Sasori accepted the hand she held out to him to rise. Jaw locking, Sasori strode out after her, amid stares and worried whispers. They moved in a brisk stride down the hall, boots echoing against the stone floors. They turned a sharp corner and Sakura abruptly halted her steps. Sasori nearly ran into her back.

"Sasori," she called his name like a sigh. Her back still to him, she walked over to the nearest window to stare out it. Sasori stood rooted in place, hands clenched stubbornly behind his back. But she didn't say anything else. And the guilt of the silence stretched on until Sasori couldn't take it anymore.

"I won't apologize," he growled. Sakura's silent back answered him. That only seemed to irritate him more.

"If even nobles from other nations are calling him the king, then what must your own people think? It's a disgrace, Sakura. I can't believe you're calm right now," spat Sasori, his words jumbling together in his anger. Sakura pressed her palm to the windowpane.

"Sasori," she quietly called. And though Sasori's eyes were narrowed, he stopped speaking.

"Yes," he bit out.

"What are you?" queried Sakura. Sasori's eyebrows shot up.

"I'm your cousin," he retorted with a hint of exasperation. But Sakura slowly turned around, expression grave.

"What _are_ you?" she questioned again. Her gaze burned into him. With her arms folded behind her back, she was the very picture of military might. When Sasori only answered with a perplexed look, Sakura blew out a deep breath.

"You are my best friend, Sasori. You are my confidante, my right hand. This is why anything you say will be accepted as my opinion as well," she stated. Leveling him with an extra hard look, Sakura pivoted back toward the window. The sharp line of her back was a harsh thing against the warm sunlight filtering in through the glass. Her shoulders were rigid as she spoke.

"You must watch what you say. Anything you speak might as well have come from my mouth. Your anger towards the regent must be kept in check. Losing your temper will be bad for the both of us," Sakura explained in a softer voice.

"That throne should have been yours the moment you turned 16," he whispered. The anger had drained out of his tone.

"I was at war, Sasori. You cannot rule a country from a battlefield," she gently reminded him.

"Then when you returned, you should have been crowned. It's been three years, Sakura. And that embezzler still sits with the crown on his head," Sasori spat. Sakura turned toward him again. She closed the gap between them in a few decisive steps. Putting her hand on his shoulder, she waited for Sasori to look into her face.

"The House of Haruno's motto, Cousin?" prompted Sakura.

"…Fate, Wind, and Sun," he grudgingly recited. Sakura smiled.

"Wind and sun, we must wait for. But fate is something we will seize and make our own. Remember this, Sasori," she said in a low voice. Only when Sasori nodded did she release him. But before she could pull her hand away, Sasori grasped it. Pressing it to his chest over his heart, he stared at her. His eyes burned a fierce gold.

"I will see you returned to your rightful place. I swear it," he uttered in a fierce whisper. But Sakura slipped free of his grasp.

"No need to swear with me, Sasori. You know I value your words enough as is," she assured him. Sakura regarded him for a moment before she pointed back in the direction they had come from.

"We should go back. I feel guilty leaving Prince Sasuke to those… _lovely_ young ladies," Sakura said. It took an extra moment but the usual, easy smile returned to Sasori's face. Swallowing down his ire, he swept one of his needlessly fancy bows and gestured for her to lead the way.

Though Sasori agreed not to start foaming at the mouth at the mention of the King Regent of the Forest Kingdom again, his frosty reaction to Naruto could not be helped. Sasori had arrived on Wednesday evening, he did not speak to Naruto until Thursday morning, blatantly avoiding the prince at the ball the night before.

"You've invited that frog to breakfast?" demanded Sasori, nearly stabbing himself in the hand as he looked up from his eggs. Sakura arched an eyebrow over her teacup. Sasuke, seated to her left, let out a short cough of laughter. He chuckled as he chewed on a piece of sausage.

"You know as well as I do that I treasure his absences more than his appearances. But it hardly seems subtle to have the three of us dining together while he sits alone in the banquet hall. Besides, the Queen asked Sasuke 'to be a dear friend' to him," Sakura answered, sharing an eye roll with Sasuke.

"Are we onto first names now?" Sasori teased his younger cousin.

"Of course, Sasori," Sasuke quickly returned. The three of them laughed. Sasuke didn't let Sasori's jabs ruffle his feathers and he was quick to come up with witty responses. Sasori had immediately taken a liking to the prince as a result. And Sakura found their antics an endless source of entertainment.

Half an hour later, a servant announced Prince Naruto's arrival. Sasori poured himself a hearty glass of wine with pointed looks, earning a fresh bout of laughter from his companions. Still, the seat between him and Sasuke was left open for Naruto. And Sakura, sitting directly across from the chair, nudged the vase of roses set as a centerpiece on the table to the left so that it would obscure the view of Naruto's face completely.

"Good morning, everyone. Thank you for inviting me to breakfast," Naruto cheerfully greeted them as he burst into the room. Sasori made a vague grunt in response until Sakura glared at him. And even then, he only bent his head in acknowledgement when Sakura kicked him under the table. Sasuke also bowed curtly. But when Naruto moved around the table to greet Sakura, she quickly pretended to be drinking more tea. Sasori customarily greeted her with a kiss on the cheek, as was custom in the Southern Tea Isle. When Prince Naruto attempted to copy this, Sakura firmly blocked his way with a teacup. Sasori bit his lip to hold back his snicker. Clearing his throat, Naruto sat, trying not to draw attention to his failure.

"Good morning, Prince Naruto. Did you have pleasant dreams?" Sakura smoothly began as she set her cup down. Naruto shifted in his seat, trying to see her around the large bunch of flowers in the middle of the table. After some squirming to the left and right, he sagged in his chair.

"Uh, yes. I mean, I had a little too much wine last night. That servant woke me up when she said you wanted to have breakfast together," admitted Naruto with a sheepish grin. Piling potatoes and eggs onto his plate, Naruto glanced over in Sakura's direction. Letting out a grunt, he picked up the vase of flowers and handed it off to one of the servants to take away. Sakura blinked a few times as she saw looked up from her food and saw Naruto smiling at her from across the table. As if to emphasize his actions, Naruto waved at her. The childlike gesture made Sasori scoff.

"Well, that's one way to solve your problems," muttered Sasori under his breath.

"How about you three? You're known for your love of wine, Admiral. There's no shame between cousins," Naruto joked in a feeble attempt at familiarity. Sasori's jaw twitched. Shooting a sharp look in Sakura's direction, Sasori received a helpless sigh in response.

"Well, **Second **Cousin, we were up at dawn. Sakura and Prince Sasuke went horseback riding, and I was up writing letters to the navy. Funny thing about being an admiral, one seems to develop quite a lot of responsibilities. There isn't much time to sleep until noon," Sasori retorted with a toothy smile. The wounded look on Naruto's face tugged at Sakura's heartstrings.

"It's not quite 10, Sasori. You shouldn't treat everyone like a soldier," she admonished. Though Sasori shrugged her comment off, Naruto's face lit up like a beacon. Nodding vigorously, Naruto dug into his food with gusto. A look of utter revulsion overcame Sakura's expression as her fork froze midair. Sasuke stared with his teacup hovering just below his chin. Sasori poured wine directly into his teacup.

"Well," Sakura said over the sounds of Naruto's munching. She set her fork down and wiped at her mouth with her napkin.

"I think I'm quite full. Please excuse me, gentlemen," announced Sakura. Tossing her napkin on her plate, she stood. Sasuke and Sasori stood as well. Naruto, still chewing on his food, rose as well. He gulped down whatever was in his mouth and then pulled his most heartbroken expression.

"What? You're leaving? I just got here, Sakura. Let's talk more," Naruto pleaded.

"Forgive me, Prince Naruto, but I planned to spend the rest of the morning exploring the library," she firmly stated, making it clear that he was not invited along.

"That's fine. Prince Sasuke and I were going to have a spar in the courtyard. You're welcome to join us whenever you grow bored of your books," Sasori cut in before Naruto could say anything else.

Sakura nodded to the standing men, and then quickly strode out of the room.

* * *

"So you invited him for breakfast, and then fled?"

As Itachi spoke, he closed his book and set it on the table. Sakura, seated on the windowsill, shrugged without looking at him.

"You abandoned your brother in favor of this dusty old library?" Itachi went on to demand. That made Sakura's head snap around to look at him. Her hair was tied in a low ponytail and fixed in place by a silver band that glittered in the sunlight.

"He is my cousin," she corrected in a flat voice. Letting out a tight huff, she crossed her arms over her chest. The soft cotton of her purple shirt stretched to accommodate the motion. When she slid off the windowsill, the medallion hanging from her neck thumped lightly against her chest. The disc settled against her stomach when she moved to lean against the wall instead.

"I said I was trying to be polite. I didn't say I succeeded," she finally responded with a vague air of sulking.

"Well, you seem to get along with your other cousin. I suppose it's a matter of which side of the family you're dealing with," Itachi remarked. He was sitting in a wooden chair, a cream-colored shawl wrapped around his shoulders. The heavy fabric covered his hands too, exposing only his fingertips as he traced the spine of his latest book. A lock of dark hair fell into his face and he softly brushed it away, tucking it behind his ear.

Sakura's combat boots thumped heavily against the carpet as she sauntered over and pulled out the chair beside him. Spinning it around, she sat backwards in it, arms crossing on the top rail. Sakura leaned back on two of the wooden legs as she regarded Itachi.

"Are you asking me about my family?" she finally inquired. Itachi's fingers steepled together on the table.

"Anyone can read about your family in a history book, General," he evenly replied.

"So you're asking me specifically about why I hate one of my cousins and not the others," Sakura specified. The front most chair legs landed on the floor again with a muffled thud against the thick carpet. Itachi simply regarded her expectantly.

Though Sakura hadn't known Prince Itachi for very long, she had had several conversations with him. Since his health prevented him from horseback riding or fencing, there was little else he could do but talk. And even then, he didn't seem to be interested in hearing about her military conquests like his younger brother was. They had discussed everything from philosophy to the differences in trade in their two countries. Itachi was surprisingly open to argument. And he patiently explained some of the more difficult concepts without jeering at her. Sakura had attended the military academy for four years, where she had been taught the essentials such as history and economics. And even before that, she had been given private tutoring. But Itachi was a walking encyclopedia, often confounding her with complex phrases.

"External attribution?" Sakura had once repeated.

"You blame the rocks in the road when you fall off the horse rather than your own poor riding skills," he had elaborated.

Oddly enough, though she spent much more of her day with Sasuke, Sakura found herself looking forward to her time spent in the library each day. Sasuke respected her need for a few hours by herself, and Sasori was also smart enough not to poke his nose into her business.

They had never set a time to meet. Rather, Sakura showed up whenever she please, and more likely than not, Itachi would be there leafing through whatever new tome had caught his interest.

"Well, Prince, it seems your hunger for knowledge isn't limited to books," Sakura said with a grin. Itachi rested his cheek in his hand.

"Please, humor me," he insisted.

"Well, I've spent almost all my summers and autumns at the Southern Tea Isle. Those are the key times of harvest so it's essential that administration run smoothly. And Sasori is my mother's sister's only child. So he's always lived in the capital city with me," Sakura began with a heavy sigh.

She recalled cool mornings spent with tutors as she learned about the land she was to rule. The afternoons, she was free to roam the city, and Sasori always came along with her. They weaved through the crowded walkways, tasting spices and marveling at the glimmering bolts of silk dyed rich blues and reds. Pockets jingling with gold, they filled their hands with steaming loaves of bread, eating their fill before giving the rest to the dirty children who were often shooed away by merchants. Because he was older than her, Sasori was sent to the military academy before her. She had cried bitterly at his departure, even though he wrote faithfully to her each week.

"Naruto is my father's brother's son. He lived in Pearl Port, where the North River meets the sea. I rarely saw him growing up," Sakura added with a tone that was significantly cooler.

Sakura abruptly focused her stare on Itachi.

"I don't hate him. But he and his family are careless people. Careless people live quite happily themselves, but they leave pain in their wake," she suddenly told him. She didn't know why she was revealing this to a man who was still almost a stranger. But Itachi didn't seem surprised.

"But careless people are unaware of the pain they cause," he gently countered.

"That is precisely why I do not hate him. But I certainly cannot love him," Sakura declared with a heavy heart. Slumping forward in her chair, she stopped speaking. After a while, she heard Itachi pick up his book again. There was the dry rustle of him turning to the page he had marked off. And he read quietly, leaving her to bask in the silence of the library. Closing her eyes, Sakura breathed in the musty smell of ancient books, and imagined the warm waters of Plumeria washing over her.

* * *

Lots of family background and political sass bouncing back and forth. Courtly catiness is always fun.

Thank you for all the love this fic has received so far. Be sure to leave me feedback and remarks in the reviews. I don't always have time to respond to them, but I do read them all and I'm grateful for every single one.


	4. Dream

I'm currently on vacation so I thought this update would have to wait until I got home. But inspiration strikes in funny places and sometimes a regular coffee in one country means a shot of pure cocaine to the veins in another.

* * *

Amaryllis

Chapter 4: Dream

_Are you ever awake?_

"You're up late," Sakura commented as she heard the door creak open. Her spoon clinked against the side of the cup as she stirred in the sugar cube. Today's porcelain cup was white with gold edging and a stream of blue and yellow flowers painted across the sides.

"A bit of moon tea before bed was all I had. The owls were keeping me up," grumbled Sasori. He casted an angry look over at the window, though none of the large white birds sat staring in. He shuffled over and then plopped down in the chair across from hers. He hadn't even bothered to dress. Shirtless, and clad only in light blue pajama pants, he let out a massive yawn. With his eyes barely opened, Sasori flipped his teacup over and groped in the direction of the teapot.

"How was your morning ride?" asked Sasori. He gave up on finding the tea and let his arm flop to the side. A sigh left Sakura. She picked up the teapot instead and poured him a cup of the fragrant red liquid. Though the palace always provided the vast array of flavors imported in from the Tea Isles, Sakura chose the fruit-flavored brews native to Talast. They had a much different feeling on the tongue, but she enjoyed the sweet taste nonetheless.

"It was good, as always. It's a bit humid today, though," Sakura answered. As he listened to her speak, Sasori picked up a slice of thick, soft bread, and shoved half of it into his mouth. He completely ignored the array of jams and marmalades set out beside the loaf.

"Are you hungover?" Sakura demanded as Sasori propped his chin up in his hand.

"Just a bit, darling. Your cousin was chattering in my ear about the Queen's begonias or some nonsense last night and I had to drink the pain away," admitted Sasori with an impatient wave of his hand. He squeezed his eyes shut and kneaded his temples with his fingertips. With a shake of her head, Sakura began pushing sausages and round cakes made from fried batter onto Sasori's plate. He opened one eye to look down at the food.

"Oily foods will help. And drink some tea," she instructed him.

"Thank you," he mumbled after he took a sip. Then, after a pause, he looked her way again.

"You're not going to scold me to be kinder about that idiot?" questioned Sasori. Sakura arched an eyebrow.

"Do I really need to say it if you know what I'm going to say?" she returned.

There was a contemplative pause. Sasori glanced down at his plate before he shook his head.

"I suppose not," he sighed.

"Well, at least tonight is the second-to-last night. After this is over, you can go home and I won't have to wear dresses anymore," Sakura remarked as Sasori picked up a fork and knife. He shot her a look as he cut his food up into bite-sized chunks.

"You wear dresses at home," he reminded her. Sakura didn't even respond because Sasori began thinking about his own statement. Chewing thoughtfully on a slice of sausage, he turned back toward her.

"Which reminds me. The Marquis of Sunpoint himself came to visit when I was home," Sasori began. Sakura cracked a smile.

"He did? To complain about the nonexistent debt we owe him again?" guessed Sakura. She popped a slice of apple in her mouth, crunching through it with her front teeth.

"No. He came to ask that you consider a union between yourself and his son," Sasori corrected her.

"Consider?"

"Alright. He demanded it. Well… slurred it. The man was drunk beyond belief. His son had to come in and carry him out, the poor boy," Sasori admitted with a chuckle.

"Do you know," Sakura said as she chomped on another piece of apple, "That the marquis and his son are not related in any way? The Marquis adopted the boy when he saw him in an orphanage. He claimed something reminded the boy of himself." Sakura and Sasori stared solemnly at one another before they began to laugh.

"I wonder... whatever could it have been?" snorted Sasori.

They both envisioned the Marquis' enormous eyebrows and bowl cut and wiped the tears of mirth from their eyes.

"What're your plans for the rest of the day?" inquired Sasori once they calmed down their snickers.

"I was going to wander the Queen's gardens and force you to accompany me," Sakura responded. Leaning back in his seat, Sasori propped his chin up in his hand.

"I'm going to refuse so that I don't deprive you of the joy of forcing me," Sasori told her. Exchanging nods, they clinked their teacups together and enjoyed the rest of their breakfast.

* * *

"I've been hearing a lot of talk about you again."

Ino lifted her eyes from her novel for a moment before she lifted it higher to cover her face. She ignored her mother and pretended to continue reading. But the Duchess was undeterred. She stared at her daughter until Ino could no longer ignore the sizzling stare burning a hole through her book.

"Talk isn't always bad. What kind of talk?" Ino sighed, finally showing some reluctant interest.

"That garden party you attended last week while I was away…" the Duchess began. At this, Ino slowly lowered her book to peer over the top of it. Her sky blue eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"Yes?" she prompted.

"I heard you were the star of the show, my dear. The Queen had some very good things to say about you."

Ino said nothing in response. She twitched her nose without comment before raising her book again. Letting out a loud sigh of frustration, the Duchess snatched the book away and set it down on the table. In retaliation, Ino snapped her fan open and held it up to shield her face again. The Duchess shook her head.

"Anyhow, the Queen told me that you were a charming companion to have along. She said you were a lovely young woman. And she said to convey her thanks for being such a good friend to her daughter," the Duchess listed off with enthusiasm. Ino slowly shut her fan. Eyes fixated on the table, she muttered something under her breath. The Duchess paused her monologue.

"Did you say something, dear?" she questioned, turning to her daughter. Ino glanced up with a sullen look.

"I said… you do realize that the Queen Regent isn't Sakura's mother?" she muttered. Ino began picking at imaginary lint on her dress while her mother let out a flustered noise- a cross between a harrumph and gasp.

"Well, young lady, first of all, you should not address the Princess by her name so casually. And second of all, you would do well to mind your tongue. The Queen is still the Queen," the Duchess scolded. Ino dangled her fan by the edge, letting its weight slowly spread it open. Propping her chin up in her hand, Ino slouched in her seat.

"Well, **Mother**, Sakura asked me to call her by her name. And I'd think you and Father would be the last people to bend to the Uzumaki family's whims. You were such good friends with Queen Tsunade and King Jiraiya," Ino sniffed. The Duchess scowled.

"Queen Tsunade, may she rest in peace, was my friend, yes. But we serve the Crown, Ino. You should know that," the older woman insisted.

"You should be supporting Sakura," Ino shot back with a sour expression.

The two women glared at one another before they finally looked away.

"Your neckline is much too low," the Duchess finally said.

"And you have too much powder on your face," Ino snippily retorted. Still, she tugged up the front of her dress. It was deep purple with small lighter flowers embroidered into the fabric. While it was true that the garment did show off her neck and collarbones, along with a generous portion of cleavage, it was nowhere near the most scandalous piece of clothing she owned. The skirt covered her ankles and her back was not revealed. Just to irritate her mother, Ino crossed her arms, mashing her breasts together to emphasize her cleavage. The Duchess sighed.

"Ino, listen to me. Our family has thrived for all these years because we have always chosen our sides wisely. Now, Princess Sakura is a wonderful person. But she will not be Queen. And to choose her side is to lose everything our family has worked for."

"Whatever happened to our family's words, Mother? 'Fortune chose the faithful'?" Ino dug with a toothy smile. There was venom in her voice.

"It is the duty of a noble lady to obey her parents, not oppose them," the Duchess sharply rebuked.

"And it is the duty of parents, then, to act in a manner that deserves respect!" Ino immediately spat.

"Ino!" the Duchess growled in a fierce warning. Ino snapped her mouth shut but her eyes still glowed with hot resentment. The Duchess took a few deep breaths to calm herself before she spoke again.

"Ino, the politics of court are not just a game. You have to be discerning. Just as you must be discerning in choosing your future husband," she smartly said. Ino deflated further at the mention of marriage. Lip jutting out in a sullen pout, Ino didn't say anything in response.

"Now, you should get ready for your harp lesson," the Duchess concluded the discussion as she got to her feet. She kissed the top of Ino's head and was off. Ino slouched down in her chair as low as it would allow. She opened and closed her fan once more before she tossed it onto the table.

"I wish Sakura would write me back," huffed Ino to no one in particular. And just because she could, she kicked at one of the legs of the table and sat sulking over the pain in her toe.

* * *

"She's very beautiful," one of the nobles commented. Eyes turned to the young general being pulled onto the dance floor by Prince Sasuke. Her dress was light teal that day, with strings of pearls draped around the skirt in shiny tiers. Swaths of transparent fabric flowed down the back of the skirt, trailing behind her like a tide that was always rushing to catch up to her. The back of her dress dipped low again, exposing the lines of her shoulders and the curve of her spine, rejoining fabric at her waist.

"I wonder how she managed to lead an entire army?" another wondered out loud.

"My thoughts precisely. She looks like she'd know her way better around a bedroom. I hear she's quite flexible…" one of the older men remarked. A set of low chuckles filtered up from the group as they nodded and winked at one another. Only two faces remained stony in their midst. And no one seemed to notice this until one of the men who clearly found no humor in the conversation cleared his throat.

"My lords, I don't think you've been introduced to my friend, Admiral Haruno of the Forest Kingdom," Sasori announced with a smile.

There was a thick pause as everyone processed the name. And as if she could read their thoughts, Sakura appeared. Sasuke was just a few steps behind her. Her hair was twisted up and strung with thin lines of pearls. And the large golden suns hanging from her ears glittered as she turned her head toward Sasori. Her hand rested on his shoulder as she read the atmosphere. The flush of embarrassment on the faces that met her told her enough.

"Am I interrupting something, gentlemen?" she questioned. The polished golden chain hanging from her neck sparkled. The shimmering disk engraved with tiny words and symbols swayed with her movements before coming to rest against her stomach.

"N-not at all, General. We were just discussing what a fine dancer you are," one of the men sputtered. When Sasori rolled his eyes, Sakura's cool smile answered the man who had spoken.

"Clearly," was all she said.

"Come, love. Let's dance. I hear your flexibility is something to be tested," Sasori said, his hand moving to her waist. A fresh round of blushes and looks of embarrassment passed around the group. And when Sasori explained the situation to Sakura, she laughed out loud. He twirled her around before drawing her in close to his chest. Sakura pushed away from him, returning them back to a respectable distance apart.

"Perhaps I've dressed you too appealingly. I should have brought a burlap sack for you," sighed Sasori.

"My dear cousin, your flattery is bordering on lechery tonight," Sakura stated with an airy sort of carelessness. She put on a flat look of disapproval until Sasori pivoted and dipped her until the small of her back rested against his knee. She fixed him with the same stony look until he smiled.

"Lechery? You're especially hurtful today, Sakura," he replied. Only then did Sakura's lips lift in a smirk. She reached up and pinched his cheek with a light touch. Then they were swirling across the dance floor again.

"Then again, you're only this terrible to the people you actually like so I suppose I should consider this an honor," sighed Sasori as an afterthought. This time, Sakura outright laughed at him.

"Speaking of which, your imbecile has been staring at you for quite some time now," murmured Sasori with a subtle nod in Naruto's direction. He spun her around to allow her to get a look. And indeed, Naruto was standing in a group of people who were all chattering merrily to one another. But only Naruto stood silent with a plate of food in his hand. His eyes met Sakura's and he gave her a tentative smile. Sakura did not return the expression before Sasori spun her back around. And the look of absolute displeasure on her face when Sasori saw her again made him chuckle.

"What do you suppose that's about? Do you think someone ate the last slice of ham?" Sasori conjectured out loud. Sakura pretended not to smile at that. Instead, she dragged their pace down as the song transitioned into a slower, more sorrowful song. But then Sakura noticed Sasori's eyes were drifting elsewhere and so she followed his gaze. From the opposite side of the ballroom, Sakura spotted three men in the distinctive black and silver uniforms of the Mountain Kingdom's armies.

"Goodness," sighed Sasori. And at the same time, Sakura sighed, "What now?"

Their dance came to a stop. Sasori didn't bother to sweep the usual fantastic bow he saved for her. Instead, he slipped his arm around her waist and hid his look of utter disgust in Sakura's hair as he whispered, "Pompous penguins." Sakura struggled not to smile.

"Oh, Admiral Haruno, we've been looking all over for you."

Sakura and Sasori turned at the same time. Sakura took one look at the medals gleaming on the black uniforms and promptly excused herself. Sasori, rather than releasing her, tightened the hold on her waist. He spoke without moving his lips.

"Are you abandoning me?" he accused her. Sakura smiled glibly as she mentioned powdering her face. She bowed to the other men and made a quick retreat. But on her own, Sakura was quickly caught by a trio of noblewomen gushing about the beauty of her gown. They marveled over the way the silk shimmered and the way that there were tiny sparkles embedded into the very fabric. One of them reached out to admire Sakura's hair and Sakura quickly sidestepped the touch with a terse smile. The message was clear. The noblewoman was smart enough to realize her mistake and apologize. Sakura excused herself to go drink a glass of wine.

She had two.

But as Sakura stood enjoying her second glass of wine, something made the hairs on the back of her neck prickle unpleasantly. Gaze sharpening, her eyes flitted around the vast room. Out of habit, she searched for Naruto and found him not so far from her, still stuck in that awkward conversation with people he didn't know. Her stare lingered over the men in that group in particular, searching for the telltale marks of a concealed weapon. But then, as she looked at Naruto again, she felt, rather than saw, a flicker of movement somewhere behind him.

"Look out!" Sakura shouted as she bolted forward, elbowing people out of her way. Cries of outrage trailed behind her as people were jolted aside. But Sakura had eyes for no one but the danger behind Naruto. Willing all her power to her legs, she sprinted to him. She heard Sasori say something from somewhere but she couldn't understand him. Metal glinted brightly.

Sakura shoved Naruto aside with her forearm and spun to shield him with her body. Heat erupted across her back. She could feel the stickiness of blood between her shoulder blades. The blade sliced through the strings of pearl draped across her back. The iridescent shapes scattered, spilling across the floor and rolling in every direction. Her knees buckled from the blow, but there was no time to process the pain.

Fingers closing around the knife hidden beneath her dress, still strapped to her left thigh, as always. Sakura whirled. She launched the blade into the air with precision. The weapon sang as it cut through the air. Then, with an abrupt thud, it connected with the assailant's chest. Blood spurted out of his mouth. His eyes widened with surprise as he struggled to comprehend why he was falling. But by the time he hit the ground, he was dead, and wondered no more.

Sucking in a deep breath, Sakura slowly rose to her full height. Though the wine had dulled her reflexes by a fraction, she was grateful now for the faint fuzziness it gave her as her body took a moment to catch up to the pain. She looked up in time to see Sasori pushing through the crowd, hand resting on the hilt of his sword. But then their eyes met, and she could see his mind racing as he took in the scene. The look that passed between them conveyed many different things before Sasori stepped around her and helped Naruto to his feet.

"An assassination attempt?" a voice from the crowd gasped. There were hissing whispers as the nobles stood and speculated about the violence that had just erupted.

"You're bleeding…quite a lot, actually," Sasori uttered as he finally approached her. Sakura nodded absently as she moved to the fallen body. Sasori followed her. His lip curled while he watched her kneel and wrench the knife from the corpse's chest. She then reached over to pick up the sword the assassin had been wielding. Lifting the blade to her nose, she inhaled deeply. Beneath the coppery smell of blood, she searched for anything that might be hiding.

"It's not poisoned," she declared after a long moment. The sword clattered to the ground. Sakura stood up then, wincing as the rush of adrenaline began to fade and a deep pain radiated through her back. She felt Sasori place his palm on her shoulder blade.

"It didn't hit bone. It's quite deep, though. You should get this treated immediately," he said with a calmness she knew he didn't feel at all. The grip his fingers had on her shoulder almost hurt her, and she could feel him shaking. There was a pause, and then Sakura heard fabric tearing. She twisted around in time to see that Sasori had shed his jacket and was tearing it into strips with his sword. Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but the look he shot her silenced her. Sasori then grabbed the drink from the nearest person and spilled it onto the strips. He layered the fabric together into a compress and then pressed it firmly against the wound. The shock of the contact made her gasp and her fingers dug into his arm as she struggled not to cry out.

Sasuke came running over, guards shadowing his footsteps. His face was flushed red and little beads of sweat were gathered on his upper lip. He had obviously run to get help at the first sign of a commotion. As Sasuke stood catching his breath, he looked from the body on the ground to Sakura. Sasori removed his hand from Sakura's back, looked down at the blood glistening on his palm, and then shrugged. He wiped his hand across the side of his pants, staining them bright red. Sasori them resumed applying pressure to her back to stem the flow of blood as best he could.

"First thing's first, I believe we should tend to our dashing heroine currently bleeding profusely," Sasori stated as he gestured to Sakura. The Queen arrived at that precise moment, along with the King, who gestured for the guards to confer with him. But the Queen moved directly to Sakura and put her hands on Sakura's upper arms.

"I called for my personal physician. She will see to your needs," Queen Mikoto assured her. Startled by the fervor in the other woman's voice, Sakura only nodded. One of the servants stepped forward to escort Sakura to be treated. Sasori waited for the woman to add pressure to Sakura's back before he took a step away from her, his palm glistening again. Sakura hesitated only for a moment to glance back at Sasori. Though it was clear that Sasori wanted to go with her, he glanced back at Naruto, and then at the dead man.

"Stay," Sakura firmly ordered. Sasori gave a hopeless sort of smile as he nodded. Clenching his hand into a fist, he placed it over his heart.

"How did this even happen? We have guards posted everywhere," Sasuke wondered out loud.

"Have the guards search the castle. We need to ensure that this man was acting alone. And then we will question all of them. It is shameful enough that an intruder was able to make it to the party. It is doubly inexcusable that our honored guest was injured in the process," the King barked. Two of the guards immediately hurried out to spread news of the orders. The other two moved to the corpse. One grabbed the feet while the other grabbed it under the arms. They lifted it out of the darkened pool of blood and carried it out of the ballroom.

Meanwhile, Sakura was half-guided, half-dragged up to the private areas of the eastern wing. Sakura tried to count the flights of stairs and thought maybe she was up on the fourth floor. She couldn't be sure. The blood loss was making things a little hazy. But then she was led into the infirmary. Sterile smells and light colors greeted her, as did a shock of bright red hair.

"Sit her down. Get water," the woman barked.

"Can you tell me your name?" she then asked in a more normal voice. She lifted Sakura's eyelid, staring intently.

"I was slashed. I didn't hit my head," grumbled Sakura in response. There was a pause, and then the physician smirked.

"I'm Karin. I'm the Queen's physician. And you seem to be fine, General," the physician continued on in a cheerful voice. Sakura grunted but was cut off as one of the nurses began to peel away the cloth pressed to the wound on her back. Karin hissed as she slapped the nurse's hands away. She took over the painstaking process of separating the layers of fabric from the sticky gash across Sakura's back.

"Whoever did this was smart. It saved you a lot of blood. It's not as deep as you think it is," Karin remarked casually as she stood observing the wound on Sakura's back. But after a moment, she began barking orders at the nurses to gather supplies and to tend to the patient. All the while, Sakura lay half on her side, dazed from a mixture of pain and blood loss.

"We're going to disinfect this now. It's going to hurt," Karin warned her from what felt like very far away. Even so, Sakura mustered the energy and awareness to snort.

"You get used to this kind of stuff. If you piss off the wrong people, you're bound to get slashed once or twice," Sakura remarked.

"More like if you piss **on** the right people," snorted Karin in return. And despite the daze brought on by the pain and blood loss, Sakura let out a weak laugh.

She liked this woman. Maybe it would be worth getting injured this way if it meant all the doctors would be this pleasant here.

Karin was quick about tending to the injury. She stitched the edges of the cut together, stating that Sakura was lucky that the blade didn't sever any important nerves. Sakura vaguely listened as Karin efficiently stitched up the wound. Teeth clenched, Sakura refused to whine or to cry. And then Karin was out of her hair when she was done with her work. As the nurses began bandaging the area and layering it with healing balms, Sasori walked in. Sakura heard the click of his polished boots and twisted to look over her shoulder at him. He stopped beside the bed and stood observing her for a moment.

"I could kill you," he sighed after a bit.

"Get in line," Sakura scoffed in return.

Sasori waited for the nurses to finish their work and leave the room with bloodied gauze and the torn bits of his uniform before he moved closer. Since he had shredded his jacket, all Sasori had on were his white breeches and his white shirt. Both were smeared with her blood.

The pain kept her lying on her side so her back faced him. Sakura laid her head back down on the pillow as she waited for the verbal lashing. Instead, Sasori took a deep breath and then exhaled. He pressed his palm to her shoulder, tracing the edge of the bandages.

"A shame. It's such a pretty back," he sighed.

"It'll heal. It always does," Sakura dismissed his concern as she glanced back at him. Anger flashed in Sasori's gaze as he pulled his hand away. He moved to sit at the foot of her bed so that she could see him without craning her neck.

"I think you're grossly underestimating your value," Sasori stated. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"The value of my position or of my body?" she quipped.

"Both," Sasori flatly said, clearly not in a joking mood.

"You and I both know that I've gone through worse. This will heal in a few weeks, and no one will remember it," she dismissed his concern again.

"…I will," he quietly answered.

The pain in Sasori's voice made the conversation grind to a halt.

"Sakura," Sasori sighed as he clasped her hands between his.

"When you were born, there were those who said that I should be named Prince, because I was born first, and because I was male. My mother and father could have easily spoken up and fought for that right. But when you were born, my mother was in the room with your mother, and she swore, upon her life, that our family would support you. Not to serve you, darling,, but to support you. And so I swore too, that I would protect my cousin, that I would love her because she was my family, but also because she would someday be Queen," whispered Sasori with his eyes squeezed shut.

"Sasori," began Sakura with a sigh but Sasori shook his head.

"You are the head of our family, Sakura. And just for that, you would obviously have my loyalty. But you have been my queen since the day you were born. You have to take better care of yourself," Sasori said in such a fierce voice that Sakura had no choice but to process his words.

"…You're a fool, you know. What a waste of potential," she finally scoffed. But when she met Sasori's eyes, she was smiling again.

"You're right. Tell you what, let's go conquer another country so I can be a king too," he teased. Then Sasori looked down at their hands.

"Take better care of yourself, darling. For everyone's sake," he suddenly said in a more somber tone, "You are the most important person in our kingdom. One word from you could completely change everything." Sakura nodded, her head turning so she could look toward the window. The sun was setting and it lit up the sky a fiery shade of orange.

"I will. I don't plan to die just yet," responded Sakura after a long moment of contemplation.

They sat silently for a long time before Sasori finally got to his feet. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and then one to the back of her left hand as well. When he departed, all the color in the room seemed to flee with him. Leaning her shoulder against the white pillows on the white bed in the room with white walls was depressing. Sakura held up her hand, half-worried that she would begin to turn transparent in such a place. She closed her eyes, letting her hand drop down. Part of her just wanted to lie down and sleep but the pain in her back made her movements extra careful.

"The infusion of moon tea you asked for, General," one of the nurses said as her footsteps announced her approach.

Sakura took it and drank without saying anything. The nurse departed silently as well, clearly sensing the other woman's desire to be alone.

* * *

Naruto came to visit a few times. The first time, Sakura was still drowsy from the moon tea and she opened heavy lids to Naruto calling her name. He stood over her bed, face pale and haggard.

"Sakura, I'm so sorry this happened. Are you okay?" he blurted out. His words were frantic, stumbling over one another. Sakura blinked slowly. Then she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

The second time Naruto came to visit, Sasori was already in the room. And though Sakura's mind was still a little foggy, she understood just why Sasori suddenly stopped talking. Eyes flashing with venom, Sasori whirled to face Naruto.

"What're you doing here?" Sasori growled. Naruto held up his hands in a pacifying gesture.

"I'm just here to see how Sakura's doing…" the blond said, his voice trailing off in the wake of Sasori's acid glare. Even when Sakura placed her hand on his arm, Sasori refused to back down.

"Get out of here," whispered Sasori, even as Naruto took a nervous step forward.

"Sakura, I'm really sorry you got hurt for me. Are you feeling okay?" Naruto insisted as he moved closer. Sasori's hand clenched into a fist.

"Get out. You have no right to be here right now," Sasori whispered again. There was a frosty note in Sasori's voice that made Naruto freeze. And eyes half-lidded, Sakura finally looked up to meet Naruto's wide eyes.

"You should go, Naruto," she added. Only then did Naruto take a step backwards. Nodding slowly, Naruto looked around the room in a nervous, concerned sort of way before he retreated. And Sasori, still shaking with subdued rage, leaned forward the pressed his forehead firmly to hers.

"He has no right to be here. I'll tear him apart," Sasori snarled.

"You'll do no such thing," retorted Sakura. Lacing their fingers together, Sakura pressed her cheek to Sasori's shoulder until his trembling stopped.

The third time Naruto came to visit, it was during a rare window of opportunity when Sasori was out of the infirmary. Sakura's eyebrows rose as she spotted movement in the shadows of the doorway. But her patience was strong. She waited for him to reveal himself before he slunk across the floor to stand at the foot of her bed. He stood wringing his hand together behind his back as he tried to gather the right words. Then Naruto suddenly pulled out a bunch of flowers. The stems were a little droopy and the roots were untrimmed. But the sight of the brightly colored blooms softened Sakura's mood.

"Sit down," she sighed, gesturing to the chair next to the bed. She watched Naruto look around for somewhere to stick the flowers before he just sat, bouquet clenched in his hands until his knuckles turned white. His shoulders hunched in.

"…So…uh… how are you feeling?" Naruto queried after an awkward pause. He tugged at the collar of his burnt orange waistcoat. The golden chain looping from the first button down to the watch in his pocket rattled quietly. Sakura debated ignoring him before she decided to end his suffering.

"I've been better," she remarked after weighing her words. But then she revealed a faint smile to let him know that she was joking. Naruto didn't return the expression. His gaze darted nervously from her to the doorway.

"Does it hurt a lot?" questioned Naruto in something closer to a mumble. His cheeks burned dark red as he clenched his hands into tight fists.

His eyes were huge as he stared at her. The sight of that wide gaze stirred up old memories. The nostalgia clogged her chest until she felt like she couldn't breathe. Quickly turning her head away, Sakura cleared her throat.

"…Not at all," she stiffly answered. The lie fell flat. Her fingers curled into the edges of the blanket.

But then Sasori came back with his tea and the rage in his eyes made it clear that it was time for Naruto to leave. In fact, Naruto jumped to his feet, color draining out of his face entirely. His stare jumped from Sasori, to the flowers, and then to Sakura.

"Uh. I'll just…" he stuttered out. Naruto thrust the flowers into Sakura's lap. Then he bolted from the room, followed all the way by Sasori's glower. Sasori stood in the doorway, teacup rattling noisily against the saucer until Sakura waved him in. He strode over and exchanged her flowers for the tea. Sakura arched an eyebrow at him as she took a sip of the hot beverage. It was bitter.

Without hesitation, Sasori glanced over the flowers, and then promptly deposited them in the garbage.

"Sasori," she admonished half-heartedly.

"Some weeds will not repay what you have done for him," Sasori ground out.

"Those… are agrimony. They were my mother's favorite flowers," uttered Sakura. Sasori promptly plucked them out of the trash. He didn't meet her eyes as he began moving around the room stuffing them into the empty vase beside her bed.

"That's…unusually thoughtful of him," Sasori admitted with clear reluctance.

Sasori then settled on the edge of her bed without saying anything else. Only when Sakura took his hand did Sasori lift his gaze.

"Feeling a little foolish, are we?" she teased just a bit. Sasori's hand closed around hers but he didn't respond. Instead, she could feel his gaze tracing her face. His clear gold eyes narrowed. Sasori reached out to push a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"Please take care of yourself, love. I'll be leaving in a few days and I'm worried that you won't be careful. Can you promise me that you'll at least pretend to have some sense of self-preservation?" As he spoke, Sasori stroked her face once with his thumb. He cupped her cheek in his palm. Sakura stared at him for a long moment before she reached up and placed her hand over his.

"I promise," she replied in a soft voice.

And it seemed that, at least for a little while, Sasori had forgotten his rage at pretty much everything for the time being.

At least, this held true until Sai strolled into the infirmary with his hands in his back pockets. Karin was hunched over Sakura, face screwed up as she looked over her own handiwork. The stitches were holding together well. The salve of various herbs that Karin had placed on top had also helped with the worst of the pain and inflammation. Though the wound was nowhere near healed after less than a day, Sakura was well aware of how much pain ineffective medical attention could cause. And while Karin stood poking and prodding, Sasori stood like a disgruntled sentry by the window.

But Sai chose to enter then, shattering that fragile peace.

Out of habit, Sakura looked up to see who the visitor was. There had been a veritable parade of people prancing in and out of that door all day. The table beside the bed was crowded with bunches of flowers and brightly colored presents. Everyone from some lower nobles to the higher ups like Prince Sasuke and Lord Shisui had dropped by. So putting on her diplomat's smile, Sakura lifted her head.

Whatever snorting retort she was about to make in response to Karin's dry humor was lost in her throat as she saw Sai standing there. And Karin, noticing the gap in their conversation, looked up to see what was wrong. Sasori, of course, had whirled to face the visitor already. He crossed the room in quick steps.

Sasori's hand flew to the hilt of his sword. The jarring zing of the metal screeching free of the scabbard echoed in the room so loudly that it hardly seemed possible. And then Sasori's blade was at Sai's throat, pressing so hard against the pale skin that a drop of bright red welled up against the edge. But Sai was fast as well. His dagger was out, hovering menacingly at Sasori's gut, prepared to rip him open and send his organs spilling.

One of the nurses let out a high-pitched scream while Karin swore under her breath.

"How dare you set foot in here, you swine," hissed Sasori.

"Watch yourself, Admiral," Sai returned in a soft voice. There was even a hint of a smile pulling at Sai's lips.

"I **watched** my cousin get stabbed because of your incompetence," Sasori seethed.

"And I apologize for that. But perhaps you need to consider, Admiral, that maybe I am not slow but that the General is too fast," replied Sai with an insincere smile. Sasori ground his molars together. But before his blade could move any further, Sakura's cold voice cut in.

"Sasori," she called out sharply.

"Glad to see that you're well, General," Sai greeted her. He tipped his head in her direction as much as he could without decapitating himself. Sasori's gaze turned from angry to murderous.

"Sasori," Sakura said a second time. This time her voice held an icy bite to it. And Sasori visibly flinched, as if she had cut him with his own name.

"Lower your weapons…the both of you. This is a hospital," ordered Sakura. And slowly, with visible reluctance from both sides, the blades dropped bit by bit. With a look from Sakura, the two nurses grabbed their things and moved closer to Sakura and away from the danger. Letting out a harsh exhale, Sasori took one step away from Sai.

"I merely came to apologize, General. As much as I would like to cheerfully gut our Admiral, it is true that you were injured because I did not act quickly. I am Prince Naruto's personal guard. I should have been there first," Sai said with a small bow. There was little sincerity in his dark eyes. Sasori scoffed audibly. Sakura observed Sai for a long moment before she spoke.

"Your apology does little to change the outcome. I appreciate the gesture, but next time, flowers will do," Sakura simply stated before she tilted her head to look at Karin. The spectacled doctor bit her lower lip to hold in her laugh as she resumed her work. With that clear dismissal of the guest, Sasori gave Sai a smug look as he walked past him. And Sai gave the same bland smile before he bowed again and slowly backed out of the room.

"Darling, that's going to come back to bite you directly on the ass, you know," Sasori cheerfully informed her as he sat at the foot of the bed. He busied himself sheathing his weapon and then adjusting his hair. Sakura raised an eyebrow at him.

"Not as much as it will bite you. Sir Sai was assigned to Prince Naruto for a reason. He is not someone to be trifled with, Cousin," said Sakura as she reached out to pat his knee.

Obviously, Sakura did not make it to the ball that night. The glittering gold gown Sasori had brought for her hung unused inside the armoire. Moegi sighed and fussed over it so much that Sakura gave her the bib necklace that went with the ensemble. The girl's eyes grew huge as she took in the sparkling blue stones set into the jewelry but she was unable to refuse. And just to be fair, Sakura gifted Haku the headband that was supposed to have gone with the outfit. The woven chains of gold were dotted with teardrops of blue gems along with little pearls. It would have been a splendid ensemble and Sakura looked over at it every so often with a twinge of regret.

Instead of mingling and dancing for hours, Sakura had Moegi and Haku help her down to her own room where she sat propped up on her bed with pillows and a stack of books on her nightstand to keep her company. When Sakura asked which one of them had picked out the books, both Moegi and Haku looked at one another with confusion.

"We just found them in here, General. We're not sure who left them," Haku admitted.

Sakura had an idea of who had, though, and she laughed to herself later on.

Sasori snuck back from the dance early to sit playing card games with her in his pajamas. He had had a few glasses of wine and his laughter sounded rich. The pervasive scent of sandalwood, which seemed woven into the linen of his loose pajama pants, filled the room. He wore a set of gold bangles on his right wrist and they clinked together as he moved to take three more cards from the deck. A bowl of dried figs sat on the comforter between them and the sticky sweetness flooded her mouth with old memories. Sakura peered at Sasori over her cards, silently watching him. After a moment, he looked up too, fiddling with the metal stud in his ear.

"What?" he asked, his voice almost a laugh.

"This feels… almost like home," admitted Sakura before she squeezed another fig between her molars.

Sakura thought back to her apartment in Plumeria. The striped pattern of sunlight through the slatted wooden blinds across the covers was always the first thing she saw in the morning. But the blinds were opened at night and they clattered together like wooden wind chimes in the strong island breeze. Incense burned in clay bowls painted gradients of white and green. Fat white candles filled with big chunks of sea salt were nestled in more bowls and placed on every windowsill and set by every doorway to light the way. And that clean fragrance mingled with whatever flowers and ripe fruits were around at the time.

Some days, when she could escape her duties for just a little while, she would climb into one of the little dinghies used for moving between some of the private areas of the palace. There were specific places left unconnected by walkways to ensure privacy. These little rowboats were typically tied up in plain sight, always ready to transport someone. But Sakura would take one, row it underneath the complex system of buildings on stilts and their accompanying wooden walkways. And there, where the sunlight reflected off the water in iridescent, wavering shimmers of light and onto the underside of the palace, she would tether the boat and lay on the floor. There, the gentle current would rock her back and forth.

Sometimes, she napped. But more often, the distant roar of the sea, along with the creaks of the boat lulled her into a sense of peace.

"Take care of it all, Sasori," Sakura suddenly said as she pulled herself from her thoughts. Sasori started a little. A wave of nostalgia hit her so hard that her gut clenched.

"Take good care of the island, Sasori. I miss it," she clarified. It had been so long that Sakura struggled to cling to the whispers of warm sun and the feeling of wet sand between her toes. Sasori seemed to understand. He put his hand on her ankle for a moment.

"I will watch over things until you can return home," he assured her.

Then, they resumed their card game, munching on the figs until their fingers hit the bottom of the bowl.

Sasori fell asleep there, tangled in blankets and memories, despite Moegi and Haku's efforts to wake him. After a while, Sakura sent them to bed as well. She curled up beside him, her cheek pressed to the back of her hand. The pain in her back was a constant throb, but the moon tea made it tolerable, and the fact that it was her suffering, and not Naruto, was what kept her going.

The next morning, Sakura roused Sasori as the first rays of dawn peered in through the window. She pulled the cord to summon her two maids. And they set about hauling Sasori to his feet and shoveling breakfast into his mouth before pushing him off to the bathroom to shower. Sakura watched this bustle as she enjoyed a warm cup of tea along with a fluffy pastry topped with whipped cream and raspberries.

Within an hour Sasori was clean and dressed. His belonging were already packed and loaded onto his horse and donkey downstairs. With nothing else left to do, Sasori ran his fingers through his hair before he turned to face Sakura who was still sitting up in her bed. He took a few steps toward her. Gripping the headboard with one hand, Sasori bent his head to press his forehead against hers.

"Be safe, love. You'll be staying for the rest of the summer, right?" he uttered. Sakura nodded.

"Write to me often. I'll write to you as soon as I'm home," Sasori promised her. Sakura nodded again.

"I imagine you'll be annoyed if I get myself killed. So I'll be careful," she assured him.

Sasori pulled her into a tight hug before he pressed a kiss to the back of her right hand, and then he was gone.

Haku and Moegi seemed unsure of how to handle the morning routine now that Sakura's daily ride was taken out of the schedule. They sent word to the stables to have someone take Kaze out for some exercise in the morning. The stallion was used to moving around, and Sakura hated to imagine him pent up in the stables all day with nothing to do. After breakfast, they tidied the room, as usual. And Sakura sat watching them because there was little else she could do.

In the end, Sakura ended up giving her maids the rest of the morning off. And as if reading her mind, a servant arrived about an hour later with a simple note. It was a piece of stationary- the thick kind that let her know that it wasn't cheap.

_I would come in person to visit you but I'm currently confined to my bed. How are you feeling?_

When the servant hovered awkwardly in the doorway, Sakura understood what game was being proposed. She flipped the stationary over to a clean side and wrote a response.

_A steady supply of moon tea is keeping me partially numb. I'm sorry to hear that you're unwell too. Perhaps we should start a club._

The servant was then off to deliver the message. And Sakura sat leafing through her book for a while until there was a tap on the window. To Sakura's surprise, she realized that there was a bird at her window. Thankfully, Moegi had left it cracked to let in some fresh air. The creature slipped in and hopped into the bed with a proud squawk. It opened its bill and dropped a new note onto Sakura's lap.

_I did not want to keep that poor girl running back and forth all day._

_I may be mistaken, but a club of people stuck in bed does not sound very exciting. What could we do? _

Sakura penned a response as she sat sipping more moon tea. She was careful to monitor how much she consumed. In between, she drank an array of herbal teas and fruit teas. Too much moon tea would put her to sleep permanently, and Sakura did not intend to go out that way.

_Our club would consist of writing notes back and forth to talk about nothing. We're off to a splendid start, I'd say. Is leaving reading for fellow members going to become a tradition? I wouldn't mind. This mystery novel has been rather entertaining._

The response came after Sakura had gotten through two more chapters in the book.

_The book delivery is a privilege reserved only for the founder of the club. _

_But on a more serious note, I heard rumors that your "blood painted the floor". Are you feeling alright? The staff has been on high alert so I have not heard much else about the incident. _

The somber turn in their conversation wiped the smile from Sakura's face. She stared down at the latest message for a long moment. Part of her wondered just where Itachi always got his information. He never met with anyone else in the castle so his main source of intelligence had to be one of the staff that he saw on a regular basis. Though this was nothing absurd, the fact that he was able to manipulate what little he had to stay informed was impressive. After a good time spent considering her words, Sakura put her pen to paper.

_I did lose some blood. And I am in pain. But I am alive, which is more than I can say for that gentleman who did this to me. I am somewhat considered about the security of this place as a whole. We are also currently unaware of who was behind this attack. King Fugaku has ordered an investigation, but I suspect that will turn up little._

_Whoever arranged this was smart._

Sakura did not receive an answer until after lunch.

_Then who would try to kill you?_

The note was so small that Sakura initially wondered if part of it had been lost. But that was genuinely all there was to it. So she wrote back something equally succinct.

_The walls of your ivory tower, I think, might be growing too thick._

Sakura leaned against the windowsill, cheek cupped in her hand. She watched the raven plummet down before it flapped its wings and soared high into the air. The feeling in her gut, she wondered, was it envy?

* * *

It took a few weeks for Sakura's back to heal. And during that time, basically stuck in bed with little entertainment, Sakura wrote letters upon letters to everyone she had been neglecting. Birds flew out with envelopes addressed to Lady Ino of the Forest Kingdom, who was currently spending the summer in a fashionable summer home in Leaves. Letters also went out to Lady Kurenai and Lord Gaara on the Southern Tea Isle. Friends scattered throughout the rest of the country also received correspondence.

Colonel Hyuuga sat at his desk in the Military Academy after his morning inspection of the troops. His feet up on his desk, he idly stirred sugar into his tea as a soldier delivered his mail. At first, he didn't notice the cream-colored envelope at the top of the stack. It was not the stationary of anyone he recognized. He took his time looking through correspondences from his uncle as well as some orders from the castle itself before he finally flipped the small envelope over. He saw the red seal of the rose and nearly choked on his tea. Not bothering with a letter opener, he tore the envelope open to reveal the contents inside.

_Word may not reach the capital this quickly, but I have been compromised. Do some digging. Prince Naruto has been targeted again and it's clearly someone with the resources to meddle in the Mountain Kingdom as well as the Forest Kingdom. Send reports of your findings to Admiral Haruno in Plumeria. _

_Trust no one._

_Burn this, along with the envelope._

Neji promptly did so. The paper had been doused with something because the flames in the fireplace burned deep red as soon as the letter ignited. He stood watching the unusual flames for a long time as he stewed over the General's terse message. Then, drawing in a deep breath, he turned on his heel and strode out of the office with a brisk air.

Colonel Hyuuga was the only son of the Grand Duke of Albion. His family owned a large portion of the lands in the fertile triangle of land nestled between the White River that separated the Mountain Kingdom and the Forest Kingdom and the north river that ran down from the mountains and emptied into the sea. The yearly floods washed in nutrients that produced golden fields of wheat each year. Albion was named for the white color of the foaming waterfalls that graced the hilly landscape.

Albion's position on the Forest Kingdom's borders had also given it a long history of military prowess. Neji himself came from a long line of officers and soldiers, all of who had been awarded at least one medal or honor for their services. When one of his superior officers had recommended Neji be elevated to the rank of Colonel, the General herself, along with some other officials, had arranged an interview.

Barely 18 and fresh from her first war, back then, the General wore her title with a sort of ease that some would mistake as carelessness. She summoned Neji to Plumeria, rather than hold the meeting at the Military Academy, which struck him as odd. And by the time he made it out to the beautiful if secluded land, he began to question her motives.

She met him directly in her palace. Instead of seeing him in the main throne room, she had him taken in a small boat to a secluded building somewhere deep inside the twisting paths of her residence. The wooden walkway felt unsteady under his feet, but the servant who escorted him had assured him that it was perfectly safe. So with steps that only sounded confident, he strode down the path and pushed past the white curtains blocking the archway.

"You're early. Most people stop to ask questions along the way," she simply uttered.

Neji pushed the curtains out of his face to see that he was in a sort of large gazebo. There were no solid walls. Instead, each side of the structure was an arch, giving a clear view of the seawater flowing around them. The floors were a mosaic of light blue and green tile. There were divans and piles of cushions arranged around the room. Clearly, this was used as a gathering place for several people. Directly ahead of him, in the very center of the space, was a wooden bench covered in a bright maroon blanket stitched with a flower pattern in vibrant oranges and blues.

Seated on the bench was a young woman with her pastel hair twisted up in a neat ponytail. On either side of her were two men, one with brown hair and a roguish smile. The other had a dark mop of hair and a look hidden behind glasses tinted blue. There was a wooden chair placed directly across from them, a clear invitation to sit. And as Neji settled in this spot, he noticed that while the men were dressed neatly in their uniforms, only the General had chosen to deviate from code.

She wore the regulation white breeches with the high waist and brass buttons. But on top, she wore a sort of bronze breastplate that conformed to her softer shape. Her shoulders and upper arms were bare but golden cuffs went from her wrists to her elbows. The sides were carved with intricate details and figures that Neji couldn't quite decipher from his distance. She hadn't bothered with boots either. She wore strappy leather sandals that laced up to her knees. The white linen of bandages underneath peeked through. Her jacket was tossed over the armrest, the numerous medals spilling on top of one another. She turned to look at him, and for a moment, he was startled by the intense viridian color of her eyes.

"Sit. Would you like some tea?" she said.

It wasn't a question. Neji nodded, and a servant came out of nowhere to offer him a ceramic cup. He accepted it with two hands. The outside was plain white, but the inside was painted a deep shade of blue. On the surface of the drink were a few yellow petals that Neji also drank without question. This was his first meeting with the General, and first impressions were important.

"You submitted a resume. Impressive. Most people just have a letter of reference from an uncle in parliament. Or a bag of gold," stated Sakura.

"I take it that you do not approve of cronyism, General," Neji replied.

"Cronyism and nepotism and all those other things- I dislike them because they make a system sloppy," she admitted. Then, clasping her hands together, Sakura leaned back in her seat. She crossed one leg over the other. The thin stack of bangles on one of her ankles jangled together to make delicate music.

"Though, I will admit that your father did not hesitate to send over a dozen peacocks to 'help me deliberate'," added Sakura. At this, her two companions chuckled.

"You did not send them back," Neji noted.

"I did not. But I did distribute them to the local orphanages for dinner last week. I'm sure the children enjoyed them immensely," quipped Sakura in response. She graced him with a brief smile before her expression sobered again.

"At any rate, Major Hyuuga, I think, in the interest of fairness, I should inform you that we have unanimously decided to approve your promotion. Your honorable actions on the border do play a part in our decision. However, I mentioned fairness because I feel that you should know that we also unanimously agree that you are both too young and too inexperienced for the position," Sakura stated. Neji's brow furrowed.

"And so the main reason you are being promoted is not because of your unique accomplishments but rather because I believe you will be a valuable asset in the future," she clarified. Her words were so blunt that Neji began to wonder if he had misheard her completely. He gathered his words with precision before he dared to open his mouth. And the General sat waiting with patience.

"Pardon me, General, but I thought you just said that you hate nepotism," he said.

"Correction. I said it was sloppy. I believe that cronyism and nepotism, at least, should be used with precision. Which is why I am offering you this opportunity," she replied.

And that was when Neji realized that there was a reason that she had come to lead the entire army of the country at the age of 16.

Hands clasped behind his back, Neji marched forward. Passing soldiers saluted smartly, maintaining their poses until he had passed. Officially, in the absence of the General of the Army, the three Lieutenant Generals worked with the King's council to keep things running smoothly. While Lieutenant General Aburame hailed from one of the old noble families of the nation, the other two, Inuzuka and Nara, were commoners. This had raised some eyebrows in the beginning, as high-ranking officers in the army were always connected to wealthy families. But that didn't matter to Sakura.

Competence did.

Neji pushed the doors open with both hands and barged into the room without so much as a knock.

"And good afternoon to you too, Colonel," Kiba drawled from his spot on the couch. His boots were discarded to the side and his feet were up on the coffee table. Shino sat beside him, his glasses glinting as he read through some reports. Shikamaru was asleep at his desk. This was the office for the three Lieutenant Generals.

"We need to talk, gentlemen," said Neji as he dropped into an empty seat.

"About?" prompted Shikamaru in a muffled voice without lifting his head from his arms.

"I'm not quite sure yet. But how do we catch a murderer who has influence in court at Talast and Leaves?" Neji questioned.

Three sets of eyes swiveled to him. Shikamaru slowly lifted his head to reveal a surprisingly alert expression.

"That depends," said Kiba after a pause. He waited until all eyes were on him before he grinned. "Do we need the murderer dead or alive?"

Neji thought back to the letter that now lay in ashes in his office.

"Alive but beaten severely, I'd think," responded Neji.


End file.
